Manny Pacquiao has begun training, tweets: ‘Big news coming soon’

Manny Pacquiao tweeted that he has begun training and that “big news coming soon.”

Well, Manny Pacquiao evidently is set to the return to the ring.

The future Hall of Famer tweeted Tuesday: “Training camp has begun. I’m ready to get back in the ring and to further add to my legacy in the sport of boxing. Big news coming soon.”

So what does that mean? We can only speculate.

If he’s starting camp now, that probably means he’ll fight in April or thereabouts. That’s based on common sense, which doesn’t always prevail in boxing.

Who might he face?

We know that representatives for Pacquiao and lightweight contender Ryan Garcia have been in talks for a sanctioned fight or an exhibition. Garcia seems to be the most likely choice.

Pacquiao said he wants to “add to my legacy.” Could an exhibition add to his legacy? Probably not. Maybe that means we can expect a sanctioned bout, although we can’t be sure what Pacquiao meant.

Garcia is an attractive opponent because of his massive social media following; the fight would be huge. They would probably fight at a catch weight below the 147-pound limit.

For what it’s worth, Garcia’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, tweeted that he’d prefer his fighter face fellow lightweight Gervonta Davis rather than Pacquiao.

The 43-year-old Filipino icon had been negotiating to meet MMA star Conor McGregor. However, that possibility is less likely after McGregor was knocked out in an MMA fight.

Pacquiao had been in talks early last year to face Mikey Garcia, who, like Pacquiao, is a small welterweight, but that fight gave way to the coronavirus pandemic.

And, of course, there are many other top names in and around his division who would love a shot at Pacquiao because of the money and exposure involved.

Pacquiao last fought in July 2019, when he outpointed Keith Thurman to win the WBA welterweight title. The sanctioning body last week stripped him of his belt and elevated him to “champion in recess” because of his inactivity.

Stay tuned.

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