Pacquiao keen on US return

MANILA, Philippines – Whether he ends up fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. again or someone else, Manny Pacquiao is certain of one thing: He plans to stage his next fight in the US.

In a chat with reporters at his residence in Dasmarinas Village, Makati late Tuesday, Pacquiao said he is adamant on seeing action again on US soil, where most of his big fights were held. Philstar.com obtained an audio recording of the conversation.

“Matagal na akong hindi nakapunta ng US, eh (It’s been a while since I went to the US),” said the reigning WBA welterweight champion.

The last time Pacquiao fought in boxing’s biggest market was in 2016, when he dominated Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas. The following year, he traveled to Brisbane, Australia and controversially lost to local fighter Jeff Horn, then ended his eight-year knockout drought when he stopped Lucas Matthysse last July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pacquiao’s next fight will be held either in December or early January, with Mayweather as the obvious frontrunner especially with what transpired over the weekend in Tokyo, Japan.
Mayweather and Pacquiao bumped into each other at an EDM (electronic dance music) show in Tokyo last Saturday and exchanged taunts.

The retired Mayweather, who defeated Pacquiao in their megabuck match in 2015, then took to Instagram to announce he is coming back to fight the Filipino icon.

Pacquiao insists the meeting wasn’t planned.

“Nagtagpo lang. Maganda kasi nagkahamunan, nagkaprangkahan (We just accidentally met. It’s good because we challenged each other. It was frank.),” he continued.

“Sabi niya ‘Easy fight for me in December.’ Sabi ko let's get to the ring. I got the belt,” Pacquiao also said.

He, however, said Mayweather isn’t the only option for him.

“Lahat naman available,” said Pacquiao when asked about other fighters such as Britain’s Amir Khan.

“Sa US ang laban pagka si Floyd. Kahit hindi si Floyd, sa US pa din ang laban (If it’s Floyd, it’s in the US. If it’s not Floyd, it’s still in the US,” added the fighting senator, who hopes to finalize everything as soon as possible.