At the age of 45, Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring on April 20 in Thailand, according to Sean Gibbons, president of MP Promotions, ‘Pacman’s’ promotional company.
Talk Sport reports that in a chat with BoxingScene, Gibbons confirmed the former eight-weight world champion’s return.
“Technically, he’s no longer retired,” Gibbons told BoxingScene.
“He’s got about a year left. He just wants to fight.”
Who does Manny Pacquiao want to fight?
The MP Promotions president also revealed who he would like to face Pacquaio against in his next showcase.
“He would love to fight Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia,” he said.
“Manny feels he’s in excellent shape. He’s training for this exhibition, but hopefully that will lead to something bigger and better,” Gibbons indicated.
Pacquiao ran for president in the Philippines when he retired from professional boxing, but was not elected, and that’s when his desire to fight again came up.
However, it is likely that no more fights will follow for ‘Pacman’ after the next bout in April, although Gibbons does wish he would return to professional boxing.
“I do hope he returns to professional boxing,” said the MP Promotions president.
Will there be a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor?
Sean Gibbons also recalled that one fight many are looking forward to seeing is Manny Pacquiao vs Conor McGregor, which would bring together two of the biggest men in contact sports.
“One of the fights that people talked about for a long time was Manny Pacquiao vs Conor McGregor,” he continued.
And he has even thought that the ideal place to hold it would be Saudi Arabia.
“That’s something that will be sensational in Saudi Arabia, come on. It will be a good place to do it. It’s really simple.
“His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, [chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority], loves big events and is organizing the best events.
“It’s a very intriguing and entertaining fight that brings together two of the biggest names in combat sports,” Gibbons concluded.
Manny Pacquiao retired from professional boxing in 2021 with a record of 62-8-2 after his loss to Yordenis Ugas.
Since then, he has returned to the ring for exhibition bouts, the next one being on 20 April in Thailand.