Mikey Garcia didn't mince words following his unanimous decision victory over Jessie Vargas on Saturday night. He wants a shot at Manny Pacquiao and believes his performance against Vargas was enough to grant him just that.
"I'm ready to get back in with the best," Garcia told DAZN's Chris Mannix in the ring at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, following his victory. "I would love to get an opportunity to fight Manny Pacquiao or rematch against Errol Spence. I think it would be a tremendous fight. I'm a little bit better now at this weight class."
Garcia later referenced a potential showdown with Pacquiao specifically, saying he's ready to take on the WBA welterweight champ.
"I think it's very likely that we're considered as a likely opponent because we proved ourself to be able to compete against one of the bigger, former world champs of the division," Garcia tacked on, referring to his win over Vargas.
The four-division world champion also doubled down on wanting a chance at Pacquiao during his post-fight press conference by saying the bout has been a long time in the making.
"I'm ready to fight anybody, but the fight with Manny has been talked about for many years," Garcia said. "It has been brought up here and there and I think after tonight's performance, they'll consider that a great matchup."
Garcia added: "He's a living legend. It would be tremendous, it would be a great thing for my legacy to get in the ring with an all-time great like Manny."
Garcia's words and action in the ring followed promoter Eddie Hearn saying he wants to line Garcia up with a shot against Pacquiao. During the post-fight press conference, Hearn said that he'll be working diligently to cement a Pacquiao fight for Garcia, adding that Saudi Arabia in the summer would be an enticing location for such a mega clash.
"That's what my attention is going to be turned to over the next couple of weeks — trying to put a deal together for Mikey that he's happy with to take that fight and try to make sure that Manny Pacquiao is in for that fight," Hearn said. "I think it's probably one of the best fights in boxing."
Hearn was even beating on the drum for a Pacquiao-Garcia fight prior to Garcia's victory over Vargas.
"I've made no secret that our preference if Mikey Garcia would be triumphant is to make that Manny Pacquiao fight in July," Hearn told Mannix on Friday before Garcia's win.
Garcia furthered his case for a Pacquiao fight Saturday night, when he overcame early struggles to score a fifth-round knockdown, which powered his win. The victory marked Garcia's first at welterweight and redemption from his shutout loss to Spence last March.
Whether the win over Vargas is enough to entice Pacquiao into a fight remains to be seen, but Hearn is going to try to do his part to make the bout happen. Last year, Garcia signed a short-term deal with the Matchroom Boxing USA president to fight on DAZN.