Manny Pacquiao is still recovering from shoulder surgery, but he?s likely to return in spring of 2016.
The future Hall of Famer was on 30 days of isolation, but that time is almost up and he?ll return to America soon to rehab the shoulder. When Pacquiao does return to the ring, trainer Freddie Roach says he wants Manny to ?go back into the deep water? and believes he?ll back in the approximately eight months from now, pinning him for a comeback in March, April or May.
?He?s still having a lot of fun with it, he loves the sport, I think he?s gotta couple of fights left in him,? Roach told USA TODAY Sports. ?But the thing is, is a rematch (with Floyd Mayweather) possible? I?m not sure.?
?I think that?s what we?re looking for, (to beat someone conclusively), so it?s going to have to be a tough opponent.?
If it?s not a second encounter with Mayweather, whom could Pacquiao face that fits the bill? Bob Arum mentioned Lucas Matthysse and Kell Brook as possibilities in an interview with USA TODAY Sports and has also thrown around Terence Crawford?s name in the past. All three matchups would be huge fights and bouts where Pacquiao would be tested. The Pacman is a small welterweight and has said he could return to 140, where Crawford and Matthysse campaign.
Matthysse is a come-forward brawler who would make for a good fight with Pacquiao. He?s slated to fight Viktor Postol in the fall for the WBC junior welterweight title. Crawford is a slick boxer and would surely give Pacquiao problems with his movement. Brook, though, might be the toughest test of the bunch. He?s a strong welterweight and the undefeated Brit does everything pretty well.
Whomever Pacquiao faces, the world will be watching.
