Too Manny Rumors
By Eddie Sanchez
March 2021 has arrived and Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2) still does not have a fight locked up. The all-time great last fought in mid-2019, which would put any possible return to the ring right around an even two year layoff.
There are legitimate questions as to whether Manny Pacquiao will be anything close to how he looked against Keith Thurman given the long layoff and his advanced age of forty-two years. Despite being one of the best examples for a consummate professional within the sport, father time is undefeated as they say and given the amount of wars he has endured, he may be on borrowed time.
I am not too concerned. I believe the extended layoff was beneficial for the veteran. He has had the opportunity to rest and heal his body and mind. Unfortunately, the downside is he was stripped of his true-champion status with the WBA.
Regardless, his marketability and legacy do not need a title at this time. He just needs to simply fight. There were rumors of a potential fight with Ryan Garcia that had the whole industry convinced it was going to get signed-sealed-and-delivered.
This of course did not come to fruition and Manny Pacquiao was once again left without a dance partner. Fortunately for him, he is often courted by those in his weight class.
If rumors are to be true, then we may be seeing a Manny Pacuqiao fight with a different Garcia, Mikey Garcia.
“We’re finalizing all of the details. We hope to get the exact date and location in the next few days. We’re trying to get everything done for May,” Garcia told journalist Jo Ankier.
“It’s been in the works for a long time, particularly more in detail in the last year. Now, in the last few weeks, we’ve been getting very close to working on this and finalizing it. I’m pretty excited. We’ll have all of the details set in the next few days. It’s a matter of time. So far, it seems like all of the parties are on board. I’m excited for it.”
This can be an intriguing fight for a few reasons. First, Manny Pacquiao would have an opponent who would be the closest to his size as he has had in over a decade. Manny would not have to overcome height, weight or length disadvantages.
Second, Mikey Garcia has not looked like his dominant past-self in the Welterweight division. He was shut-out by Errol Spence Jr. and defeated Jessie Vargas in a fashion that didn’t resemble his dominance in the lower weights.
Having said that, Mikey Garcia is an intelligent fighter. He would be able to mix-it-up with Manny Pacquiao in a cautious fashion and look for opportunities to counter-attack.
If this fight does come together in the next few days as Mikey Garcia alluded to, this will be great for fans and the sport of boxing as a whole. Manny Pacquiao is still one of the most popular fighters in the sport and his presence alone will attract viewership on Fox PPV.
While we wait for the fight to be made (or not), let’s enjoy some good old-fashioned highlights from his last bout against Keith Thurman.
