Welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring later this summer, and it won’t involve Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s chief representative, told ESPN on Wednesday that the plan is for the Filipino star to fight in “June or July.” The current shortlist of opponents Pacquiao is considering includes titleholder Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.
Spence might be a long shot given that the Texan is coming off a gruesome car crash last October. He stated in December that he expects to fight again in the summer. Porter’s last fight was title-unification loss to Spence last September. And Garcia outpointed Ivan Redkach in January. Garcia’s father and trainer told Boxing Junkie that they would move on from a Pacquiao fight if they aren’t given a concrete answer by the end of this month.
As for Mayweather, Gibbons shot down that possibility. “’Mayweather told us, ‘I’m retired, I’m not fighting,’” Gibbons sai
Mayweather has repeatedly hinted that he plans to return to the ring in 2020, most likely in some kind of crossover bout in collaboration with the UFC’s Dana White.
Gibbons added that Pacquiao expects to fight more than once in 2020, even with the potential late start.
Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) had a late-career banner year in 2019, in which he defeated Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, both of whom are considered elite welterweights in their prime.