Pacquiao Wants A UK Fight – ‘He’s Never Fought Here’
Manny Pacquiao was in the UK with the aim of holding a boxing fight in the region next year.
Pacquiao retired from the sport in 2021 when he lost to Yordenis Ugas by a unanimous decision. He ended his career as one of the best fighters ever, winning titles in eight weight classes. However, he came up short in the biggest fight of his career when he lost a unanimous decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao’s Career
Since his retirement, he has had two exhibitions. He defeated DK YOO via a unanimous decision. He then faced off in a three-round exhibition against Rukiya Anpo in Japan. While there was no official result, Pacman was outboxed for the three rounds. He had been linked with a professional return against Mario Barrios, the current WBC Welterweight Champion.
That would have made Manny the oldest welterweight champion at 45 if he had defeated Barrios, a record he already holds when he defeated Keith Thurman in 2019 to win the WBA Welterweight Title. Manny was 40 years old when he achieved that.
He was in the UK to watch Anthony Joshua face Daniel Dubois. A win would have made Joshua a three-time heavyweight champion. Dubois had the opportunity to win the belt by beating the best after having been elevated to a full champion once Oleksandr Usyk vacated. Dubois stopped Joshua in the fifth round in an upset win. While Pacman was there to watch a big domestic clash, his main focus was on holding talks about a possible fight in the UK. The manager of his promotional company, Sean Gibbons, confirmed as much.
Pacquiao’s Return
“Manny has a tremendous amount of British fans from over the years. For now, there’s nothing in the US for Manny to consider. England is a tremendous market, and in some ways, it’s bigger for Manny Pacquiao here since he’s never fought here.
“It will be like the fans seeing a living legend, a Hall of Famer, and getting to see him up close and personal. So staging a big fight here in London or Manchester would be a perfect way for Manny to end his career. We hope we can make it happen. We will speak to Ben to give all the British fans a chance to see a boxing legend in action before he retires,” Gibbons said
The leading contenders for that fight are Amir Khan and Conor Benn. Khan was repeatedly linked with the Pacquiao fight during his professional career. While the fight never got made, Khan indicated that he would be willing to make a comeback if he could face Pacquiao or Mayweather.
Meanwhile, Ben was in talks to face Pacquiao as they faced off in Saudi Arabia. However, Ben’s legal issues have complicated things. The boxer is currently suspended following his two failed VADA tests for Clomiphene. While Ben’s future is expected to be cleared up, there are question marks over whether Manny should fight him. Either way, Pacman is keen on a return.
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