MANILA, Philippines — At the moment, WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s target is Adrien Broner and while contracts are still being finalized, it appears they’ll face off in Las Vegas on Jan. 19. Beyond Broner, it’s a wide open range with a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. looming in the horizon or a showdown against the winner of the soon-to-be-announced duel between Errol Spence and Mikey Garcia as juicy options.
A two-city US press tour to promote the Broner fight is on hold while arrangements are ongoing so instead of proceeding to New York City after speaking at Oxford University in England on Nov. 5, Pacquiao will return to Manila and start training for his next assignment. The press tour would’ve made a stop in Los Angeles to cover both the East and West Coasts. Pacquiao began limbering up two weeks ago but hasn’t been back in the gym for boxing workouts.
In his Instagram account, Broner declared that he’ll be “war ready” for Pacquiao and called out the Senator, saying, “come get what you’re looking for.” A source from Pacquiao’s camp said the fight will definitely be in Las Vegas but the venue is not confirmed. The MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena are top choices.
While Mayweather has said he’s open to a Pacquiao rematch, it will depend on a lot of factors. Mayweather is planning to “un-retire” against an unnamed opponent in Tokyo on Dec. 31 but the bout may be only an exhibition with a possible mixed martial arts fighter. If Pacquiao beats Broner convincingly and Mayweather is up to it, they could battle in the middle of next year. With Mayweather, media has learned to expect the unexpected.
Now that Pacquiao is aligned with Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon, the source said the possibilities are exciting. “When the Senator was tied up to Top Rank, the options were only (Vasyl) Lomachenko and (Terence) Crawford but now, we can talk to Spence, the two Garcias (Mikey and Danny), Keith Thurman and even Mayweather himself,” he said. “How long Sen. Manny will keep fighting is up in the air. A big win over Broner will set himself up for bigger fights, if not against Mayweather, any of Haymon’s fighters. But the plan is to fight Mayweather after Broner.”
Pacquiao’s disposal of Lucas Matthysse to wrest the WBA crown in Kuala Lumpur last July has rekindled global interest in the only fighter ever to capture eight world titles in eight weight divisions. London’s Boxing News editor Matt Christie recently described Pacquiao as “arguably the greatest fighter of the current era” and “a man who has made a career out of thrilling his fans and defying the odds, out of rising in weight and taking on the best rivals available to him, out of sumptuous skill and dazzling speed.” Christie added, “Let us appreciate Pacquiao, every moment, every smile and every frenzied attack because this modern great will not be around too much longer and we may never see his kind again.”
Pacquiao turns 40 next month but whether he will not be around too much longer is debatable. “Right now, there’s a long line of big-name fighters who want a piece of Sen. Manny,” said the source. “How this plays out is anybody’s guess but these are definitely exciting times for the Senator.”