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Philippines, 24 Feb 2026 |
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Doors open for Manny By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Tue, 24 Feb 2026  Manny Pacquiao is facing Russia’s Ruslan Provodnikov in an eight-round exhibition in Las Vegas on April 18 but beyond that, there’s a wealth of options on the table for Pacman. Last weekend, Ryan Garcia wrested the WBC welterweight crown from Mario Barrios who previously retained the title on a majority draw with Pacquiao seven months ago. Pacquiao dismissed talk of a rematch with Barrios, insisting he’d done enough to win and he was moving on. But now that Garcia is on the throne, Pacquiao could reconsider fighting for the WBC belt. Garcia, 27, has taunted Pacquiao in public and dared him to fight. When Pacquiao took on Rukiya Anpo at a Saitama exhibition in 2024, Garcia was at ringside and tried to steal the limelight from the ring icon. At the time, Garcia served a one-year suspension for failing performance-enhancing-drug tests twice. He was also expelled for a year by WBC for discriminatory and racist remarks. To add to his unsavory history, Garcia had a tumultuous relationship with his former wife and was once arrested for vandalism. He has struggled with mental health issues and alcoholism. Garcia would be a perfect foil as a villain against a hero in Pacquiao. In the latest world rankings, Pacquiao is No. 3 by WBC and WBO but unlisted by WBA and IBF. Still, if Pacquiao decides to challenge either WBA titlist Rolly Romero or IBF ruler Lewis Crocker, he wouldn’t be denied the chance. The WBO champion is Devin Haney and he, too, could be a future opponent for Pacquiao. So he could choose from among Garcia, Romero, Crocker or Haney to fight for a world title. Or there’s the juicy option of battling Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in a rematch after 11 years from their first encounter. The word is the return engagement will happen on Sept. 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Mayweather, who turned 49 today, has announced he’ll un-retire for the fourth time after engaging Mike Tyson in a carnival exhibition, tentatively on April 25. Mayweather’s comeback bout will likely be against Pacquiao. Their 2015 confrontation generated 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a gross of $400 million. If a rematch brings in even half of those numbers, both Pacquiao and Mayweather would be happily strolling all the way to the bank. Of the four reigning world welterweight kings, Garcia seems to be the logical pick. After all, Pacquiao is ranked No. 3 by WBC and coming off a draw with Barrios. He deserves another crack. Garcia has a 25-2 record, with 20 KOs and one No-Contest. In 2019, he demolished Filipino Romero Duno in a single round. Romero, 30, was once rumored to be lined up against Pacquiao. He totes a 17-2 mark, with 13 KOs and holds a win over Garcia. Haney, 27, is a tactical stylist with a 33-0 record, including 15 KOs and one No-Contest. Crocker, 29, is also undefeated with a 22-0 mark, including 11 KOs. Pacquiao is 47 but who’s counting the years? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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