EXCLUSIVE | Manny Pacquiao bids to continue his remarkable comeback trail in his late forties, but right now Mario Barrios isn’t his first choice, WBN can confirm.
In an exclusive conversation with World Boxing News, Pacquiao’s right-hand man and MP Promotions President, Sean Gibbons, confirmed the Filipino legend’s intentions.
Pacquiao’s Comeback Path “No Barrios at this time. Manny is looking at Rolly Romero for the WBA title. Manny wants meaningful fights at 46 to make history,” Gibbons exclusively told worldboxingnews.com.
However, while Romero is firmly on the radar, Gibbons was careful not to oversell the situation.
“But there is nothing right now. Romero is just one of the fights mentioned for Manny,” he clarified.
The statement ended immediate speculation that Pacquiao would target Barrios following his recent draw with the WBC welterweight champion,
Pacquiao is lining himself up for Romero, the outspoken former WBA super lightweight champion, in a bid to add yet another layer to his Hall of Fame career. Pacquiao already made history by capturing world titles in eight divisions. If he manages to dethrone Romero at 147 pounds, he would extend his record into truly uncharted territory.
Having defeated Keith Thurman to become the oldest welterweight champion in history six years ago, the ‘Pac-Man’ could extend that feat by a further 78 months this December.
The Filipino legend had opened up to WBN regarding a potential clash with Gervonta Davis, naming the Baltimore man as his first choice. However, Tank chose to face Jake Paul in a Netflix crossover exhibition later this year, leaving Pacquiao out of the loop.
Gervonta Davis and Manny Pacquiao at Davis vs Garcia Esther Lin A Message for Gervonta Davis Asked for his take on Davis moving away from traditional title bouts, Gibbons was diplomatic.
“Everybody has a right to choose what they want to do. God bless him and good luck to him,” he told WBN.
With Pacquiao weighing up Romero and other potential opponents, including Barrios again, a fight looks set to land at the MGM Grand before the end of the year.
The eight-weight world titleholder aims to further cement his status as one of the sport’s greatest icons, and as Gibbons outlined, Pacquiao isn’t interested in routine paydays.
Every bout from here is about legacy, with Pacquiao turning 47 before his next outing.
“Manny wants meaningful fights at 46 to make history,” Gibbons concluded.
