Manny Pacquiao is not done with the sport yet and looks set to fight in Malaysia this summer after recent talks to fight Mike Alvarado look to have fallen through.
The Filipino boxing icon had a torrid year in the ring last year.
He surrenderd his WBO welterweight world title to Jeff Horn in a shock defeat in Horn’s native Australia.
I can remember looking at footage of Pacquiao training alongside a well-known American boxing trainer last summer and even then, we both thought that Pacquiao didn’t look interested.
He didn’t look like he had that trademark intensity.
More than anything, it appeared as if he was just going through the motions.
Now he seems to have a little bit of the fire back as he bids to go out of the sport this year on some sort of positive note.
It was thought he was not happy at all with a recent offer to fight Mike Alvarado. He wants something bigger.
Speaking to ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo said:
“Definitely, Malaysia. If not May, this coming June (I will fight).”
Pacquiao went on to say that it is down to two boxers in terms of the potential opponent:
“Lucas Mathysse or Danny Garcia.”
Previously Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum expressed concerns whether the organisers in Malaysia could put up the necessary financials to stage a Pacquiao fight in the country.
As for the two above potential opponents, both are in decent form at the moment and would offer Pacquiao a stern test, at this stage of his career.
Danny Garcia stopped Brandon Rios inside the distance last month in what was a tough fight for Garcia overall, but ultimately a massive knockout win.
Mathysse also recorded a stoppage win in his last fight. A knockout victory against Tewa Kiram back in January just gone in California.
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