By Allan Fox: Manny Pacquiao says he’s interested in fighting twice in 2021, but he won’t be able to return to the ring in the first quarter of the year.
The former eight-division world champion Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) should have no shortage of potential opponents eager to fight him.
Fighting IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr would attract a lot of interest for Pacquiao and the fight would make a lot of money on Fox Sports pay-per-view. However, is Spence the right guy that Pacquiao should be fighting coming off of a two-year layoff?
Inactive former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia has frequently been speaking about wanting to fight Pacquiao, and he feels there’s interest on his side to make the fight with him.
Unfortunately, the 32-year-old Mikey (40-0, 30 KOs) hasn’t fought since last February, and he’s packed on a lot of weight and is now looking like an out of shape super middleweight.
The weight and the lack of high-profile fights for Mikey would make him a poor choice for Pacquiao compared to other fighters.
Who’s next?
When Pacquiao comes back, he needs to face a relevant opponent for him to gain the most amount of interest, and Mikey doesn’t meet that criterion.
“We will still have sessions in March so there’s no way I am going to fight during that time,” Pacquiao said to @TribunePhl. “I think I can do two [fights] next year.”
Pacquiao is turning 42-years-old this week on Thursday, December 17th, and he hasn’t fought since defeating WBA Super World welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman by a 12 round split decision last year on July 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If Pacquiao chooses not to fight until next summer in 2021, it would mean that he will have been out of the ring for two years.
With Pacquiao’s advanced age and his inactivity, it would be wise for him to take a tune-up level fight for his first match back next year.
Manny holds the WBA Super World 147-lb title, and he’ll need to decide whether he wants to defend that title or vacate it.
If Pacquiao keeps the strap, he’ll need to face a contender that the World Boxing Association will sanction.
Options for Pacquiao to fight in the WBA’s rankings:
- Conor Benn
- Mikey Garcia – if he can lose all the weight he’s put on.
- Keith Thurman
- David Avanesyan
Out of all those names, Thurman would be the best option for Pacquiao because he did a great job promoting their fight last year with his interviews, and great soundbites.
Thurman would do all the hard work for Pacquiao outside of the ring giving interviews for a second fight, and it would likely do well on pay-per-view. ‘One Time’ Thurman is a larger than life character, and a great speaker.
Mikey Garcia wouldn’t be as good of an option for Pacquiao because he’s done nothing since moving up to 147 other than losing badly to Errol Spence and beating the over-the-hill non-contender Jessie Vargas.