Pacquiao and Garcia Vow to ‘Save the Day’ as Potential Replacements Should Fury vs Joshua Fall Through

A prominent boxer has pledged to “save the day” should he and Manny Pacquiao be required to step in for the December 11 heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Reports emerged last week confirming that the two British fighters would headline a Netflix and Ring event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on that date.

However, shortly thereafter, Mike Coppinger of The Ring disclosed behind-the-scenes complications that could jeopardize the heavyweight showdown.

Furthermore, the planned main support bout featuring Pacquiao and Shakur Stevenson appears to be in jeopardy, as Stevenson is now pivoting toward a potential unification bout with Gary Antuanne Russell.

Regardless of how the situation develops, the 47-year-old Pacquiao might still secure a world title bout later this year.

This potential opportunity follows his previous WBC title challenge against Mario Barrios, which ended in a draw after Pacquiao returned from a nearly four-year hiatus in July 2025.

Following this draw, Barrios was stripped of his title the next February, leaving welterweight champion Ryan Garcia, who recently stopped Conor Benn in the second round, as the division’s top contender.

The 28-year-old Garcia initially called out Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz for a December match but recently expressed his interest in facing Pacquiao during a live stream.

“Put me and Manny Pacquiao on Netflix – we’ll save the day. Me and Manny Pacquiao we’ll save that date, trust me, you guys hear that? Me and Manny Pacquiao on Netflix we would save that date, guaranteed.”

Ryan Garcia SHAMELESSLY says he’d fight Manny Pacquiao to ‘save the day’ if Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury falls through

What is it with all these active boxers being linked with Manny unless he’s fighting Floyd Mayweather, all these active boxers need to leave that old man ALONE! pic.twitter.com/2xEoWw7Png

— Boxing Massacre (@BoxingMassacre) September 28, 2026

Contractually, it remains uncertain whether Garcia is permitted to fight on Netflix, as he still has one bout remaining on his agreement with Golden Boy and DAZN.

Nevertheless, reports indicate a contractual clause allows the American to work with Turki Alalshikh, who is heavily involved in the planned Fury versus Joshua encounter.

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