MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao will likely end up fighting either welterweight contenders Mikey Garcia or Danny Garcia in his next bout, reports say.
According to reports from US media, Sean Gibbons, who now manages Pacquiao’s boxing affairs, said the fighting senator is eyeing a return bout either in March or April next year.
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole added that Pacquiao "will be fighting someone named Garcia next."
Talking to the legendary @KnuckleheadSean said it is likely Senator @MannyPacquiao "will be fighting someone named Garcia next." MP likely to return in March/April time frame. Porter an outside possibility with a win Saturday
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) September 24, 2019
Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia — the two are unrelated — possess the same come-forward style suitable for Pacquiao, who impressed in his last fight against American Keith Thurman to become the WBA “super” welterweight champion.
Both Garcias are former world champions — Danny (35-2, with 21 KOS) held titles at super lightweight and welterweight while Mikey (39-1, with 30 KOs) is a four-division champion.
Iole’s tweet added that Shawn Porter, who has an upcoming super fight with fellow welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., is a possible Pacquiao opponent if he wins their clash this weekend.
However, Gibbons hinted that the 31-year-old Mikey has a better chance at landing a megabuck duel with Pacquiao, per The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire.
When ?@KnuckleheadSean? sent me this pic, I asked him, will ?@MannyPacquiao? and ?@ErrolSpenceJr? fight next? pic.twitter.com/NutZl0oFQ2
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) September 24, 2019
He responded by sending me this pic with ?@mikeygarcia?, and I responded that, yes, that’s likely the better choice... pic.twitter.com/88AwxjcVqf
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) September 24, 2019
Pugmire though said that Pacquiao’s ultimate goal is still a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But then he sent me this: the ultimate choice for ?@MannyPacquiao?: ?@FloydMayweather? ... Gibbons says right now they’re operating “on Mayweather time,” and suggested the perfect venue could be the new Raiders’ stadium in Vegas. We shall see... pic.twitter.com/jpJTnb0UTN
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) September 24, 2019
Mayweather recently announced on social media that he is arranging an exhibition match with Pacquiao in Tokyo.
The Filipino icon, for his part, denied knowledge of Mayweather’s plan, saying he wants a real fight instead.