Manny Pacquiao and his MP Promotions have previously stated that they want at least one fight before this year closes. Many fighters have also expressed their wish to face the Filipino boxing champ in the ring, and Bob Arum was also trying to make a deal with Pacman’s team, but it seems there will be no fight this year.
No fight this year for Pacman, and here’s the reason
Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s former trainer, said that he thinks Manny Pacquiao will not be appearing for a fight any time soon. There will be no competition in the ring until this year ends because Pacman is busy with his job as a senator in the Philippines.
The Boxing Scene further reported that Roach shared because of the ongoing fight with the coronavirus pandemic, it is impossible for Manny Pacquiao to be back in the ring. He has a lot of things to do as a public servant in this time of crisis, so even training is not possible.
Future plans of Manny Pacquiao before retirement
Freddie Roach also revealed that Manny Pacquiao wants to fight at least two more times before he hangs his boxing gloves to retire. He said that one of his possible opponents could be Mikey Garcia.
“He will fight again, I feel, and from when I’ve talked to him, he wants to fight once or twice more,” Roach stated. “But the thing is, it could be anywhere from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, anywhere. They were talking about Mikey Garcia and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the perfect fight for Manny’ but I don’t think we’ll really know until this pandemic is over.”
The possibility for a fight with Connor McGregor
Connor McGregor and Terrence Crawford are the other names that are being mentioned as Manny Pacquiao’s possible opponent. The former is more recognized in the world of UFC since he is a superstar in that sport, but he also expressed his interest in fighting the Filipino boxing champion.
However, Pacquiao’s coach, Justin Fortune, commented that this fight with McGregor will not take place. This is because McGregor is an MMA fighter, so he and Pacman are not even a match in the first place.
“ It will do absolutely nothing for Pacquiao as far as his legacy, Manny will destroy Conor McGregor inside the three rounds,” Fortune told The Manila Times. “He will obliterate him. I mean, my God, this is boxing. We are boxers. McGregor is an MMA guy and we can’t do MMA, and he can’t box, that’s very simple.”
