Manny Pacquiao wants to fight again—even if it is not against Floyd Mayweather.
That is the plan, at least, after Pacquiao’s rematch with Mayweather was postponed due to the latter’s legal troubles. In fact, MP Promotions CEO Jas Mathur already told The Ring Magazine that the PacMan is actively looking at other options in lieu of the unbeaten Money May.
“We’re working on it. We’re looking at different options, we’re looking at different things,” said Mathur. “We want to be very careful. We are under contract at this time, but yes, we are working on trying to get an alternate fight as well or something in place for Manny at this moment.”
A Championship Fight for Pacquiao?
In the interim, Pacquiao has quite a lot of options other than Mayweather. The most appealing would be a shot at any of the four champions at welterweight—Ryan Garcia (WBC), Devin Haney (WBO), Rolly Romero (WBA), and Liam Paro (IBF)—where a win would allow the Filipino legend to make history as the oldest champion ever at 147.
A fight with either Garcia or Haney, in particular, could be lucrative, as both are among boxing’s brightest stars today. Either is also a high-risk, high-reward proposition, as both Garcia and Haney are fast, quick, and supremely talented. That leaves Romero and Paro as the most sensible choices, with the latter emerging as an obvious option because of his willingness to fight Pacquiao.
“Manny Pacquiao was my favorite fighter growing up. I was Jeff Horn’s main sparring partner for the Pacquiao fight and I was there to witness that atmosphere first-hand,” Paro said. “I’d love to share the ring with Manny Pacquiao, Ryan Garcia, or any of the big names.”
Romero and Garcia, meanwhile, were previously linked to a fight with the former eight-time world champion.
Fight With Mayweather Is Not Shelved for Good
While Pacquiao is looking for a new dance partner in the interim, Mathur made it clear that the fight against Mayweather is not entirely off the table, as it could still happen next year. The PacMan, though, hopes to keep busy in the meantime, which is why his camp is exploring other options.
“We want it to be the right opportunity with the right partners and also so he has enough time for his camp against Floyd,” Mathur stressed.
So, for now, it is a waiting game for the Pacquiao camp.
