Manny Pacquiao has made clear he wants to avenge the loss he suffered at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015, and that a second showdown of the two boxing titans could happen before the end of 2020. But first, Pacman needs to face a different fighter on a scheduled bout in April.
Most likely, that opponent would be Danny Garcia, who is the No. 1 WBO welterweight contender and No. 2 in WBC, WBA, and IBO rankings. The American is set to duke it out with Ivan Redkach on January 25 and a convincing win over the Ukrainian should earn him a ticket to box next versus the Pacman.
The Philippine Star reported a victory this month will ensure that Garcia will be on top of the shortlist of fighters that Pacquiao wants to face in the immediate term. However, Team Pacquiao said the Filipino boxing icon is not in a hurry to pick from the candidates.
It's just that Garcia has been emerging as the most worthy to consider so far, boasting of 32-5 record with 21 knockouts. It is believed Pacquiao vs Garcia will be a slugfest to watch for and a moneymaker at the same time as both fighters command prize purse of million-level.
Garcia too is the personal pick of Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's famed trainer, who is convinced Pacquiao will knockout the Puerto Rican native.
It is Mayweather, however, who will define the Pacquiao game plan this year. It's no secret the Filipino is out on a mission to climb atop the ring again versus the undefeated Money, and there is reason to believe MayPac2 may just happen soon.
For one, the American has already announced he will come out of retirement to fight again, and not on an exhibition match but on a title fight. The Mayweather camp said boxing fans can expect a show sometime this year but stopped short of naming his specific opponent.
In any case, a clear picture of a Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch seemed to be fast shaping up and the same report suggested such a duel could be staged at the newly-built Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The venue is designed to accommodate more than 70,000 spectators and a MayPac2 could potentially become the boxing bout with the highest number of stadium audiences.
And factoring in the millions of pay-per-view boxing fans expected to tune in during the match, it will be a mega-fight to generate hundreds of millions and with Mayweather alone set to collect up to a $300 million paycheck.
This and a host of incredible achievements in the past years, including his unprecedented wins in the last few fights, should make the case for Pacquiao to be the unanimous pick as Fighter of the Decade, according to The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
