Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: Should 'Pacman' Face a Tough Opponent Next Year?
Filipino boxing champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquaio declared that he wants to be back on the ring next year amid his shoulder rehabilitation.
The question is: Will he be ready to face a tough opponent?
The 36-year-old boxer, who was defeated via a unanimous decision by the unbeaten Floyd "The Money" Mayweather on May 2, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, expressed his eagerness to return to the sport.
While in Indonesia to fulfill his promise to a Filipina on death row after being involved in drug trafficking charges, Pacman was asked if he's looking forward to a clash with Mayweather again.
Citing Viva.co.id, an Indonesian website, Boxing Scene quoted Pacquiao as saying, "I'm ready to fight, next year."
If Pacquiao really wants to collide with Mayweather one more time, he must first deliver an impressive performance against a tough fighter first, said Pacman's trainer, Freddie Roach. A stellar showing on the boxing stage again could lure "The Money" back into having a rematch with him.
"I think he's [Pacquiao] got a couple of fights left in him. Would he [Mayweather] give him a rematch? Yes. Is that possible? I'm not sure. It's going to have to be a tough opponent, of course," Roach stated via Thaboxingvoice.
However, the boxing warrior may not be prepared to collide with a strong opponent yet. It appears Pacman is not following his rehabilitation schedule for his torn rotator cuff, as stated by his promoter, Bob Arum.
ÂÂ"I'ÂÂm not even thinking about a next fight for Manny unless he comes over [to the U.S] and does his rehab,"Â Arum told Boxing Scene.
If in case Pacquiao satisfies his promoter's request, he could be facing Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley who captured Mayweather's WBO welterweight belt after "The Money" was stripped of the title or Terence Crawford.
But a fight with his arch enemy, Juan Manuel Marquez, who may retire after two fights, could quench their avid fans' thirst for a heart-pounding and electrifying showdown, something the public missed from the Pacquiao-Mayweather match.
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