Even as he ponders his retirement Manny Pacquiao still has his eye on a couple of fights before he rides off into the sunset and a full-time role as a senator in his native Philippines and a possible shot at the presidency. Now in his 25th year as a professional fighter the 41-year-old Pacquiao is still one of the biggest names in world boxing and one of the most sought-out opponents for anyone hoping to enhance his legacy.
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The world’s only eight-division champion, Pacquiao (71 fights, 62 wins, 7 losses) turned back the clock in 2019 with a pair of classy victories over Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner to scale the top of the welterweight rankings, the sports deepest division. Over the course of his decorated career, Pacquiao has defeated 22 world champions and he is not stopping. Here are some his most interesting options:
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Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs): Garcia is at the top of the pecking order according to Pacquiao’s long-time coach and confidant Freddy Roach. A four-division world champion may have suffered a one-sided loss to Errol Spence Jr in 2019 after moving up in weight, but the 32-year-old Garcia has huge plans at welterweight moving forward. After inking a one-fight deal with future options to fight on DAZN under the banner of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport, Garcia made his debut on February 29. against former champion Jessie Vargas (40-1, 30 KOs) scoring a unanimous decision in Texas. That win has propelled him to the front of a line-up of fighters looking for a shot at Pacquiao.
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Danny Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs): The former two-division champion (no relative of Mickey Garcia) has only lost in close and much-debated decisions against Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter. Earlier this year Garcia dominated Ivan Redkach (23-5-1) in a wide unanimous decision. The win put him in second place for a PPV date with Pacquiao in a fight that would potentially be big business given Garcia’s history as a ticket seller. The contrast in styles between Garcia and Pacquiao is also a marketable one as Garcia looks the biggest puncher in the division. The chances of this fight happening seem strong.
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Errol Spence Jr (26-0, 21 KOs): The unified WBC and IBF welterweight champion, who crashed his Ferrari in October, thrown from the car and charged with DUI, says he wants to get right back at the top end with fights against Pacquiao and Danny Garcia. Spence defeated Mikey Garcia last year before narrowly edging Shawn Porter in a fight-of-the-year contender. A fight against Pacquiao would not only make sense, it would give PBC founder Al Haymon the best opportunity at expanding Spence’s global brand. For Pacquiao, he would be taking on an opponent that he can dominate with his constant pressure and foot speed. Spence wants the fight and a big cash out seems very much in order.
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Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs): Although Porter lost his WBC title to Spence the 32-year-old came away with a moral victory by proving he’s deserves his place in the division. The appeal of a PPV bout against Pacquiao would be perfect as both men are pressure fighters. Pacquiao has often said that he prefers opponents who bring the fight to him as it suits his own entertaining style of fighting. The chances of a Porter fight can’t be ruled out.
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Gennady Golovkin (42-40-2): Kazakhstan’s Golovkin has recently come into the picture for a possible fight with Pacquiao. ‘GGG’ was named by the long-time coach of Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, as a potential opponent despite the wide disparity in fighting weight. The match-up has caught the interest of boxing fans always in search of the unthinkable. While Pacquiao’s natural weight class is 145-147lb, Golovkin fights at middleweight 154lb plus. There was talk of both fighters arriving at a catchweight to make the dream match happen, but Pacquiao has hinted that he does not want to weight up. Pacquiao is at the point in his career where he needs to fight guys like Golovkin not young champions, so that is a big step up in class for him should it happen. Pacquiao is a small fighter compared to Golovkin who could hurt him. But PacMan has proved time and again that he can take as much as he dishes out so that should not be a problem. Just the weight should the two fighters decide to make it happen.
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Floyd Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs): The is the fight that Pacquiao really wants. Not only because it has astronomic proportions and truckloads of cash, it will given him a chance to gain revenge on Mayweather who defeated him their 2015 super fight. That produced a record 4.6 million PPV buys and reportedly netted Pacquiao close to $100 million. There’s no doubt that a rematch would be his biggest possible payday for the Filipino. The fact that Pacquiao has repositioned himself as a top-flight fighter and that he’s fighting under the same adviser in Al Haymon who helped shale Mayweather’s career makes it very doable. The money at stake is a major factor and could be the biggest fight of 2021. Mayweather may be turning 43 in February but he is shrewd businessman and understands the mechanics of making money. A year ago Mayweather came out of retirement to knock out a 20-year-old kick-boxing phenomenon who was more than 20 pounds lighter than him in an exhibition bout in Japan for big money. Easy money is something that appeals to him and that makes Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 a distinct possibility.
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