Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao

Posted on 04/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The best fighter in boxing history is a subjective topic. No matter what a particular fighter accomplishes, there is no data or evidence that will indicate to the rest of the world that said fighter is the best in the history of boxing.

Even with Floyd Mayweather sporting a TBE (The Best Ever) fitted cap as he struts around with a perfect record of 50-0, the notion that he is in fact the greatest fighter of all-time, will constantly receive pushback no matter how glamours his accomplishments have been.

Yet, in the mind of trainer Robert Garcia, the question of who is the best fighter in the history of the sport could receive a definitive answer.

Over the past few days, former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao is rumored to be deep in negotiations to take on WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs). If those rumors prove to be true and Pacquiao not only steps into the ring but also pulls off the victory, Garcia believes Pacquiao has stamped his name in permanent marker as the best to ever do it.

“I think that just tells you that Pacquiao is going to be probably the best in boxing history by doing sh*t like that,” said Garcia during an interview with ESNews. “He doesn’t need to but that’s why he’s going to be the best f*cking fighter ever. Even if he loses, he challenged himself at 43 to go fight against the best welterweight in the world? Nobody else does sh*t like that. There are people in their prime that don’t want that fight. Imagine if Pacquiao wins? He’s the best ever. He’s a bad mother f*cker.”

Recently, a target date of June 5th in Dubai has floated around as a real possibility for their showdown to take place. Crawford, 33, was last seen in the ring in November of 2020 dismantling former titlist Kell Brook via fourth-round knockout. As for Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs), he’s sat idly on the sidelines since his split decision win over Keith Thurman in July of 2019.

While Thurman may have been a decade younger, that didn’t stop Pacquiao from dropping his man before squeaking out the win.

With all signs pointing to the pair actually facing off in the ring, Garcia appeared dumbstruck by the entire ordeal. With so many other viable, and innocuous options on the table, the long time trainer is simply amazed that Pacquiao appears to be headed towards a showdown with the consensus best fighter in the world at this stage in his career.

“There are so many other fights. They were talking about him fighting McGregor, even Mikey but what does he do? He fights the best f*cking welterweight in the world at 43.”

Posted on 03/28/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It was fun at first. Adamant fans of Errol Spence Jr. would argue daily with supporters of Terence Crawford. They would scream, shout and more times than not, use every curse word in the book against one another. The main topic of discussion was always the same, their inevitable showdown.

“Spence is too big and too strong for him.”

Crawford backers would of course counter with “Spence is bigger, but Crawford is way more skilled.” Their fulmination would carry on for minutes, then hours, then days, then months and now – years. Yet, nothing has been proven.

From the moment Errol Spence Jr. laced up his boxing gloves and entered the ring for his first professional fight in 2012, his skills were obvious. While Floyd Mayweather Jr. was still dominating the sport, it was clear his time was coming to an end. Names such as Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter were constantly being pushed as the next big thing.

But while those aforementioned names have gone on to have distinguished championship-level careers, they haven’t been Errol Spence Jr. The Dallas native has it all: power, speed, footwork, skills, ring IQ and punch resistance. You name it and Spence Jr. more than likely has it.

His coronation was stamped long before he traveled overseas to rip away the IBF welterweight title from the cold hands of Kell Brook.

“I truly believe this kid right here is the future of boxing,” said Floyd Mayweather during an interview in 2015.

From there, Spence Jr. would win, win, win and win some more. With that said, so too was Terence Crawford.

He didn’t receive the same level of fanfare as Spence Jr., but the Nebraska native went about his business in the same destructive manner at both 135 and 140 pounds. As the wins continued to pile up on both sides and with Crawford’s move to 147 pounds inevitable, the taste buds of fight fans began to water.

Spence Jr.? Crawford? In the same ring? Where do we sign?

Fans began discussing it quietly amongst themselves then, as Crawford officially made the move up in weight in 2018, it was all anyone could talk about. There was still work that needed to be done for Crawford however but it made sense.

With Spence Jr. holding onto the IBF title, he assured everyone that all Crawford needed to do was lace his waist with gold.

“Hopefully he beats Jeff Horn and gets that belt,” said Spence Jr. when interviewed on ESPN’s First Take show in 2018. “When he does get that belt, we can make that happen.”

Seemingly all that was standing in the way of a mega-fight between the pair was Australia’s, Jeff Horn. Needless to say, fans were already saving their hard-earned money to purchase a Crawford vs Spence Jr. Pay-Per-View before Crawford even stepped foot into the ring with Horn.

While he was tough and resilient, no one, even those who resided in his hometown, believed he would pull off the win.

Everyone was proven to be Nostradamus as Crawford annihilated him via ninth-round stoppage and pried away his WBO title. But while many of us believed the fight was coming next, we were forced to wait. Crawford rounded out his year by knocking out Jose Benavidez and began the following year by destroying Amir Khan.

Spence Jr., on the other hand, walked through Lamont Peterson and handed a beating to Carlos Ocampo. Still, both sides assured us that the fight would happen. But here’s the thing about the sport of boxing. It has a tendency to “marinate,” big fights. Rarely do you see two fighters at the peak of their powers, who are pound-for-pound stars in the same weight class actually face one another.

Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao is a good example of this. Sure they were both still great fighters when they fought in 2015 but by the time boxing fans were served the fight, it tasted a bit stale.

Crawford vs Spence Jr. still feels and looks like a mega fight. One that has over marinated, but one that still tastes like a full course meal. The appetite for their contest, however, is decreasing.

Four years after claiming that a fight with Crawford will in fact happen, Spence Jr. is singing a different tune.

“The fights gonna happen I guess,” said Spence Jr. during an interview with FightHype earlier this year. “We’ll see.”

His unenthusiastic response to their showdown has been echoed by Crawford recently as well.

“I’m not worried about Errol Spence anymore,” said Crawford during an interview with Chris Mannix earlier this year. “I’m past that.”

Fans of both parties have seemingly done the same.

Occasionally you’ll still find a supporter of Spence Jr. sporting his “strap season,” T-shirt while arguing with advocates of Crawford. But what was once a long line of individuals who followed suit, many of them have gone about their business.

Even now, with the frustration at its highest, both sides continue to move in separate directions.

Spence Jr. is angling towards a showdown with WBA champion Yordenis Ugas in an attempt to add a third belt to his growing collection. As for Crawford, he appears to be in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes but is more than likely headed towards a showdown against perennial contender Shawn Porter.

The once loud and boisterous arguments that permeated throughout barbershops and meeting rooms have been replaced with empty hallways and disinterested followers. Even super fan Snoop Dogg has grown tired of their shtick and simply wants them to throw down.

“You got two great champions that’s not fighting each other,” said Snoop Dogg during an interview with FightHype. “It’s always like that in boxing. Then they get old, then you don’t want to see it.”

The fight is still likely to happen eventually but at this point in time, both Crawford and Spence Jr. could care less. Now, after hoping and praying for it for roughly five years, we don’t care if it happens anymore either.

Posted on 03/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Manny Pacquiao hasn’t officially named his next opponent but the eight-division world champion has a strong idea as to who he will be facing next.

“We’re leaning towards Mikey Garcia,” Pacquiao told Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN.

Like most fighters at 147 pounds, Garcia has spent several years in an attempt to get Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) to face him. The former four-division titlist has always pushed forward with the notion that a showdown with Pacquiao is just within his grasp. However, watching his dream bout fail to materialize time and time again, Garcia was adamant that this time around, the fight he had long been craving for was actually going to happen.

“It’s been in the works for a few years,” said Garcia during a recent self-recorded video. “In the last few weeks, we’ve been getting very close to finalizing this. I’m pretty excited. Hopefully, we can get the exact date within the next few days. Were trying to get everything done for May. So far, it seems like all the parties are on board so I’m excited.”

While Garcia is seemingly happy as can be that things are finally going his way, many fighters, including WBO belt holder Terence Crawford, have momentarily been cast aside as he was also hoping to land a mega showdown with Pacquiao.

According to both Crawford and promoter Bob Arum, Pacquiao was razor close to agreeing to a bout with the aforementioned Crawford and were simply awaiting funding from an overseas partner where the contest would take place.

Despite the news that Garcia has jumped to the front of the line, Pacquiao isn’t entirely ready to walk away from the negotiating table with Crawford.

“We’re also talking to Crawford. It depends on who I get to face, what’s important is I’m ready.”

With Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs) pegged to be the likely opponent, Pacquiao will return to the ring later on this year after spending nearly two years sequestered on the sidelines.

In his last ring appearance, which took place against former WBA belt holder Keith Thurman, Pacquiao dropped and mostly outmuscled his man to go on and win a close split decision. The now 42-year-old could have returned to the ring much earlier but elected to wait until COVID-19 ran its course. While the deadly disease is still out in full force, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic as vaccines are rapidly being administered to the public.

In addition to his refusal to fight during the pandemic, Pacquiao’s normally lofty purse was set to be reduced significantly due to the absence of fans inside of arenas. Furthermore, Pacquiao used the time away to recover from the war wounds he suffered at the hands of Thurman.

Immediately following his win, Pacquiao credited Thurman for being a heavy-handed fighter, even going as far as to say that he hit him as hard previous foe, Antonio Margarito.

Still, regardless of the back and forth brawl, Pacquiao claims that he was just fine the following day. In fact, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer claims that he spent most of his time playing his second favorite sport.

“We never really got complacent, we’ve always continuously worked out. We keep on playing basketball aside from boxing. Actually, right after my fight the last time with [Keith] Thurman, I didn’t work out boxing, but I kept playing basketball.”

As for Garcia, with Pacquiao coming out and admitting that he’s in the driver’s seat in terms of his next opponent, it was music to his ears. The California resident seemingly punched his Pacquiao sweepstake ticket with a dominant performance over former two-division belt holder Jessie Vargas roughly one year ago.

Garcia would go on to drop and thoroughly outbox his man on the night. Much like Pacquiao, he has remained on the sidelines but has been recently seen back in the gym preparing for his return to the ring.

Posted on 03/06/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Nothing is official just yet, but according to former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia, his contest against Manny Pacquiao is reaching the home stretch.

Earlier this week, Garcia announced that after spending years chasing the future Hall of Famer, their showdown is just about complete. In the eyes of many, Pacquiao will be a conformable favorite going in. Yet, in the opinion of welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr., he believes Garcia is going to outclass him.

“Mikey smokes him,” said Ortiz Jr. during an interview with ESNews.

Despite being only 22-years-old, Ortiz Jr. knows his boxing history. So much so, that he’s rewatched Pacquiao’s four contests with Juan Manuel Marquez.

All in all, the two all-time greats faced each other on four occasions. More times than not, Pacquiao picked up the win going 2-1-1 in their four meetings. Regardless of his success though, every single one of their showdowns was razor close.

With Pacquiao’s tendency to struggle with his long-time rival, Ortiz Jr. is under the impression that he won’t stand a chance against someone who is essentially twice as good as Marquez.

“Mikey is a better version of Marquez. I think he’s smarter, more explosive and I think he’s stronger than him.”

For Garcia, the praise he’s receiving from Ortiz Jr. might be flattering but he’ll need much more than that to convince the majority of boxing fans of his chances against Pacquiao.

Most of the dubious voices surrounding Garcia stem from his awful showing against unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in early 2019.

After pushing forward with the narrative that he could move up two weight divisions and not only compete with Spence Jr. but flat out beat him, Garcia was made to look like a fool as he was dominated for every second of every round.

The Mexican native has since demonstrated that he can at the very least, hang with the best at 147 pounds as he thoroughly dominated former two-division champion, Jessie Vargas, in February of 2020. As for Pacquiao, he was last seen in the ring roughly a year and a half ago in 2019.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer proved that he still has plenty left in his 42-year-old tank as he dropped and out mostly outclassed former WBA belt holder Keith Thurman.

While it was a great performance, Ortiz Jr. is still standing firmly in the corner of Garcia. In the welterweight contender’s opinion, he’s shared the ring on too many occasions with Garcia to start doubting him now.

“Mikey is the only boxer who’s broken me down in the ring. I’ve gotten ten times better just sparring Mikey than I ever did sparring anyone else.”

Posted on 03/02/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Mikey Garcia figured it would make more sense if he just kept his mouth shut.

For years the former four-division world champion would openly express his desire to face Manny Pacquiao and claimed that their showdown was just about ready to get over the finish line.

Time and time again however, Garcia was made to look like a fool as Pacquiao continually went in another direction. Now though, after staying mum on the subject, Garcia revealed that both his team and team Pacquiao, have been behind the scenes hammering out a deal. So far, everything has moved along smoothly.

Although Pacquiao hasn’t announced anything just yet, Garcia, unlike in years past, feels so confident then their contest will happen, that he has decided to let the cat out of the bag a bit early.

“It’s been in the works for a few years,” said Garcia during a recent self-recorded video. “In the last few weeks, we’ve been getting very close to finalizing this. I’m pretty excited. Hopefully, we can get the exact date within the next few days. Were trying to get everything done for May. So far, it seems like all the parties are on board so I’m excited.”

Pacquiao, 42, hasn’t been seen in the ring for almost two years. When he did make an appearance though, he was showing the younger fighters of the welterweight division a thing or two as he dropped and outboxed former unified champion, Keith Thurman.

Unlike most fighters who have made their peace with fighting inside of an empty arena amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) appeared uninterested and instead, opted to stay on the sidelines.

But just because there were no fights on his schedule, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t firmly in the mix. Top names at 147 pounds such as WBO titlist Terence Crawford, unified champion Errol Spence Jr., and most recently, 135-pound contender Ryan Garcia, have all claimed that a showdown with Pacquiao was on their radar.

None of those aforementioned names however, could say with any confidence that they were on the brink of facing the long-time legend. That is, until now.

For Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs), he’s done all that he can to put distance between himself and the worst performance of his career. In March of 2019, Garcia moved up two weight divisions to challenge Spence Jr. in what many believed was career suicide.

Despite the warnings, Garcia claimed that he “saw something,” in Spence Jr. that would allow him to pick up the win. His assumptions, of course, were proven to be wrong as Spence Jr. dominated every single round against him.

Roughly one year later, Garcia returned to the ring against former two-division champion Jessie Vargas, dropping and mostly dominating him. He hasn’t boxed since then as he elected to sit out due to COVID-19.

Now, after kicking up his feet to watch the landscape, Garcia has stated on numerous occasions that he’s ready to drop the extra pounds he picked up during the pandemic and get back into fighting shape to return to the ring.

If anyone has been given the pleasure of looking around the household of Garcia, they’ll notice several world titles spanning across numerous weight classes.

Still, regardless of his high placement in the boxing world, Garcia knows that his career would go to a whole other level if he were able to officially stand across the ring from Pacquiao.

“Just to share the ring with a living legend like Manny does amazing things for my career. It’s a great fight, great for my career and for the fans. It’s very exciting for boxing in general to get this kind of fight.”

Posted on 02/16/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The crowd booed at first, then laughed uncontrollably once Adrien Broner took the microphone on January 19th, 2019. Just a few moments earlier, the former four-division champion was announcing to the world that he should have been given the victory against Manny Pacquaio instead of a lopsided decision loss. 

With Broner’s tendency to be facetious, many believed he was simply attempting to lighten the mood after a poor performance. Despite that, Broner actually wasn’t joking around. 

“Shit I was serious,” said Broner during an interview with Mike Coppinger. “I didn’t give a fu*k. I really felt like he wasn’t hitting me.” 

For roughly two years now, Broner simply couldn’t understand why or how Pacquiao managed to pick up the win against him. Now, after watching that fight several times over, he believes he knows why Pacquiao was given the nod. 

“He wasn’t hitting me, but when I go back and watch the fight I’m like, alright, he threw more. He was just more busy. But he wasn’t touching me with none of that stuff at all.”

Rather than listening to what Broner has to say about how his night against Pacquiao played out, the Cincinnati Ohio native urges fans to rewind the tape and take a look for themselves. However, before pressing play, Broner wants everyone to hit the mute button first. 

“If you go back and watch the fight with no sound, you’ll be like wow, he really wasn’t landing nothing. The crowd was just yelling but if you go watch the fight with no sound, you’ll see that he wasn’t.

Regardless of how Broner feels, the end result will never change. So with that, he is burying the past behind him as he continues to prepare for his ring return this coming weekend. 

“That fight is in the past. My biggest worry right now is Jovanie Santiago.” 

Posted on 02/14/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The list of fighters Terence Crawford is likely to find standing across the ring from him later this year is dwindling down.

According to promoter Bob Arum, the two front runners for his pound for pound star is Shawn Porter and Manny Pacquiao. No matter who is chosen from that shortlist, fans of Crawford will be ecstatic to see their man face one of the elites of the welterweight division.

With that being said, a number of his supporters will be disappointed that once again, a matchup between Crawford and unified champion Errol Spence Jr. won’t be taking place.

At one point, Crawford consistently called for a showdown between the pair to end the debate of who is the best in the division. However, with numerous hurdles in the way such as Spence Jr. stating that Crawford must be willing to accept a 60/40 or 70/30 split in order to make the fight happen, the Nebraska native has walked from the negotiating table and doesn’t intend on looking back.

“You will never hear me asking for that fight ever again,” said Crawford during an interview with FightHype. “If it happens it happens, if it don’t, it don’t. I don’t need that fight. I’m not worried about that fight.”

Discussing a matchup between Crawford and Spence Jr. has become pointless. Neither side appear close to agreeing on anything and at this point, their contest seems to be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Rather than continue to discuss his frustrations on the failed showdown, Crawford is fully focused on what lies ahead. With Porter and Pacquiao staring him directly in the face, Crawford can only smile as he envisions facing them.

Preference has never been something Crawford has made important during his career. Simply sign on the dotted line and he’ll be ready to take on whomever is placed in front of him.

Yet, in this instance, Crawford is in fact leaning towards one fighter over the other. In absolutely no way, shape or form is he intimidated by either man, but if he had his choice, he knows exactly who he would choose.

“I prefer the Manny Pacquiao fight over Shawn Porter but Shawn Porter is a great fighter in his own right.”

For Crawford, the now 33-year-old is simply looking to build some legit momentum. After making quick work of former welterweight belt holder Kell Brook in the fourth round of their contest this past November, Crawford found himself on the receiving end of nonstop criticism.

Fans of Crawford believed that Brook was never a worthy challenge. In fact, many are under the impression that everyone Crawford has faced during his welterweight tenure has been subpar.

A matchup against either Porter or Pacquiao on the other hand, would quiet the mouths of just about everyone. Although it’s too early to tell who will be chosen, Crawford will merely continue to pound away at the heavy bag and work on his craft as he awaits confirmation.

“Manny Pacquiao is fast, moves, can punch. Shawn Porter is aggressive, tough, durable. I’ll be ready for whichever one comes to fruition.”

Posted on 02/04/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Everything seemed all lined up for Errol Spence Jr.

Coming into his showdown against Mikey Garcia in March of 2019, the Dallas native had a surprising but welcoming guest sit ringside in Manny Pacquiao. On the night, Spence Jr. dominated Garcia, winning every single round.

The powerful southpaw’s eye-catching performance seemed to be just what he needed to prove to the future first-ballot Hall of Famer that he was a worthy opponent. However, according to trainer Derrick James, Spence Jr.’s lights out showing may have actually pushed Pacquiao away from taking the fight all together.

“Manny came to Dallas when Errol fought Mikey and he said he wanted to fight the winner,” said James during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “When he saw how good Errol looked, I think he changed his mind.”

Instead of taking on Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) as many assumed, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) alternatively chose to take on then, WBA titlist Keith Thurman. Pacquiao would go on to drop the aforementioned Thurman before ultimately winning a close decision.

Since then, the Filipino native has been sitting idly on the sidelines. The reasoning behind his lack of ring appearances is mostly due to COVID-19 and the restrictions it places on live crowds from entering boxing events.

Pacquiao’s stretch of inactivity has recently led to the WBA stripping him of his world title and elevating then “Regular” champion Yordenis Ugas to “Super” champion status, while Pacquiao has been relegated to “Champion in Recess,” meaning, if and when Pacquiao does return to the ring, he would be given the first shot at Ugas to regain his world title.

However, Spence Jr. is currently in the midst of relieving Ugas of his newly won crown. On the Dallas native’s Twitter account, he seemed to indicate that since Ugas is in possession of the full title, he would love to unify against the Cuban native.

Pacquiao though, doesn’t appear to be in any rush to regain his championship status at 147-pounds. Several sources close to the situation have linked the 42-year-old multiple division titlist to lightweight star Ryan Garcia as a possible exhibition bout between the pair could be on the brink of becoming a reality.

While James would love it if his fighter was given the opportunity to face Pacquiao, he’s unsure when, or if, it will ever happen.

“I don’t know. I think he’s in the business to unify the belts so you never know.”

Posted on 01/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Floyd Mayweather doesn’t have an issue with anyone attempting to put a few bucks in their pockets, no matter how whacky the idea. However, some ideas just don’t make any sense.

For the past several years, UFC star Conor McGregor pushed the notion that he would take on boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. Considering McGregor reportedly pocketed a cool $130 million for his efforts against Mayweather in August of 2017, the move was justified.

Mayweather, to his credit, saw roughly $280 million deposited into his bank account for the tenth round stoppage victory. Having seen how much money could be made for facing McGregor, Pacquiao’s team not only entertained the idea but by all accounts, both sides were deep in negotiations.

All that seemingly needed to be done was for McGregor to take care of business last night in the octagon. What appeared to be an easy fight on paper turned out to be anything but that as the crossover star was viciously knocked out in the second round against Dustin Poirier.

Mayweather, of course, took notice of the beating McGregor received from his palatial estate. Now, the newly elected hall of famer isn’t convinced his rival should make the trek back to the boxing ring when he’s having issues getting the job done in his own sport.

“Conor can’t even win in his own sport, but talking about coming back to boxing to fight Pacquiao,” said Mayweather via Instagram.

Before McGregor picked up the stunning upset defeat, many viewed his contest against Pacquiao as an intriguing one. For Mayweather on the other hand, he was particularly mum on the subject whenever it was brought to his attention. While McGregor and Pacquiao may compete in different sports, Mayweather notices one glaring similarity between them.

That, of course, would be that both men were defeated by the aforementioned Mayweather. Even if by chance both men negotiate a deal to step into the ring, at this point in time, the former boxing star believes that nobody will tune in.

“Nobody wants to see that, it’s like my leftovers eating leftovers.”

Posted on 01/12/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Although Manny Pacquiao hasn’t officially fought since 2019, the eight-division titlist has been quietly doing his homework.

From the moment current unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. stepped foot inside of the ring, he’s been lauded for his ability. The footwork, timing, defensive responsibility and of course, the power – has left many believing that he is the best welterweight in the world. A tag once associated with Pacquiao.

While the WBA 147-pound belt holder may agree that Spence Jr. has all of those aforementioned qualities, he also believes that the Dallas native has one major hole in his game.

“He [Spence] is too slow,” Pacquiao told Josef Ramos of BusinessMirror. “Spence is slower than Thurman but it’s going to be a good fight.”

Facing a young, undefeated, hard-hitting fighter in Spence Jr. would be difficult, but for Pacquiao, he’s overcome that very scenario in his most recent contest. Before Pacquiao took the entirety of the 2020 campaign off mostly due to COVID-19, the future hall of famer had himself a busy 2019.

After making easy work of Adrien Broner in mid-January, Pacquiao eked out a razor-close decision against previously undefeated Keith Thurman. The win for Pacquiao may have netted him the WBA welterweight title, but not without serious resistance from Thurman. Following the victory, Pacquiao tabbed Thurman as the hardest puncher he had ever faced.

Pair their grueling contest along with 26 years of experience, and the now 42-year-old is as confident as ever in securing the victory against Spence Jr. Still, Pacquiao admitted that a showdown with the powerful southpaw wasn’t exactly number one on his todo list.

After accomplishing virtually everything in the sport of boxing, Pacquiao would like to step outside of his comfort zone and do something else entirely unique.

“[Spence and McGregor are] my options, but right now I want to experience fighting an MMA [mixed martial artist],” said Pacquiao. “I will also donate a big portion of my income to Filipino COVID-19 victims.”

Posted on 11/16/2020

By: Hans Themistode

WBO welterweight star Terence Crawford has never been one to call out fighters. He’s simply been content with fighting the best out there no matter who it is. Yet, following a fourth round win over former welterweight belt holder Kell Brook, Crawford kept his answer short and sweet when asked who he wants to go after next.

“I want Pacquiao,” said Crawford following his victory.

Crawford, 33, has been linked to a possible showdown with Pacquiao for years now. But most of the boxing world has pushed for him to face off with unified champion Errol Spence Jr. While a matchup with the aforementioned Spence Jr. is something that he would take in a heartbeat, Pacquiao (62-7, 39 KOs) is at the top of his list.

“Yeah, of course,” said Crawford when asked if he wants to face Pacquiao more than Spence Jr. “I want Pacquiao.”

Facing off with the 41-year-old WBA welterweight titlist was apparently just within the former three division champions reach. Just before COVID-19 made its unwanted presence felt, Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) revealed that both his team and team Pacquiao were on the verge of finalizing a deal for a contest that would take place in the Middle East this year. However, with such a big event, the mere thought of having it inside of an empty arena was unsatisfactory which led to the deal falling apart.

Unfortunately for Crawford, COVID-19 is not only still running rampant, but thriving. Spikes in various parts of the world have been reported as there doesn’t appear to be a reprieve in sight. Still, if there is any possibility at all to return back to the negotiating table, Crawford is all in.

“I want to revisit that fight,” explained Crawford. “It’s a fight that should have happened right now but because of the pandemic, they weren’t going to allow fans in the middle eastern so we had to put a halt to that. Everything was already 95 percent done. We had the venue and the money was almost there but not quite there. That was the only thing we were waiting on but the only thing that messed up the fight was the fans.”

For years now, several notable names have expressed a concern in a possible matchup between the two. The soon to be 42 year old Pacquiao has been boxing for a quarter century. Former promoter of Pacquiao and the current promoter of Crawford were amongst those waving the stop sign in front of a possible matchup between the pair.

“He doesn’t want to fight Crawford,” said Arum to FightHype during an interview last year. “He didn’t want to fight Crawford when I was promoting him. There’s no disgrace in Pacquiao not fighting Crawford. Pacquiao is not competitive with Crawford. He’s a great fighter still, but he’s not competitive.”

Despite his trepidation for Pacquiao, Arum seemed more willing to help push that fight over the finish line as recently as this year. For Crawford, he doesn’t view Pacquiao as someone who would avoid him. With 25 years as a professional boxer coupled with eight division world titles, the future first ballot hall of famer has never shied away from a challenge. Even at the age of 41, Pacquiao has shown that there is still plenty left in the tank.

“Manny is a true champion. He’s never shied away from any challenge at any time. He’s fighting young lions and beat two of them in Broner and Keith Thurman.”

Posted on 11/06/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Teofimo Lopez and Gervonta Davis proved their star power and boxing ability recently.

Just last weekend, the 25 year old Davis headlined his first Pay-Per-View event when he took on Leo Santa Cruz. The Baltimore native found himself on an endless highlight reel loop when he scored a sixth round uppercut that ended the night. Just a few weeks prior, Lopez pulled in just short of three million views in the headline spot of an ESPN telecast against Vasiliy Lomachenko. Lopez walked into that contest as a prohibited underdog but outboxed and outslugged his man as he became the youngest undisputed champion of all time.

While both fighters may campaign at 135 pounds, if they were willing to move up to 140, then former four division champion Mikey Garcia says he would be more than willing to meet them there.

“I’m not coming down to 135 anytime soon, probably never,” said Garcia during a recent interview with Fight Hype. “Maybe 140, maybe I can do that. I can come down to 140 and meet some of the lightweights at 140. Lopez if he decides to move up to 140 or Davis, those would be good fights. Titles or no titles I think those would be good.”

Although Davis hasn’t expressed a desire to move up to the super lightweight division, Lopez on the other hand, has struggled to make 135 pounds. The recently crowned undisputed lightweight titlist has been vocal in wanting to move five pounds north to take on the winner of unified champions Jose Ramirez vs Josh Taylor which is set to take place sometime in early 2021.

With both titleholders currently promoted by Bob Arum and Top Rank however, Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs) doesn’t see a path to hoisting another world title. The feud between Garcia and Arum has impeded the California resident from facing many of his fighters.

For Garcia, matchups against Davis and Lopez would draw huge ratings, but with no world titles on the line against either of them, he believes it might be a better idea to stay in the welterweight division.

“If I want a title fight then 140 ain’t the division for me right now.”

Garcia has spent his entire career dominating weight classes and winning world titles. Yet, with a one sided loss at the hands of unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in March of 2019, Garcia has found his transition to a bigger weight class much more difficult.

With that being said, the soon to be 33 year old dreams of becoming a five division world champion. In his last contest against Jessie Vargas, Garcia kept his dreams alive as he dropped his man before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.

Since then, Garcia has targeted a showdown with WBA welterweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao. Despite his interest in facing off against either Davis or Lopez, if it was up to Garcia, he would sign on the dotted line in an instant if a contract with Pacquiao’s name on it just so happened to come across his desk.

“That’s still the plan,” explained Garcia. “The idea is still to land a fight with Manny. I think in boxing terms that’s my best fight and I would be Manny’s best fight. Financially I think it makes the most sense for him also. It would be a great fight.”

Posted on 09/30/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Empty seats and mundane atmospheres have become the new norm in boxing venues. 

Much like every other sport, boxing has been forced to place tarps over their now empty seats due to COVID-19. 

But the new scene in boxing, hasn’t stopped high profile fighters from entering the ring. Just this past weekend both Jermell and Jermall Charlo headlined their own crowd less main event in Uncasville Connecticut. Roughly one month from now, more heavy hitters in Gervonta Davis, Leo Santa Cruz, Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko are all set to perform with nothing more then the sound of their cornermen screaming instructions in the background. 

More of boxings finest are still awaiting their dates as well. Not amongst them however, is current WBA welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao.

Unlike other fighters who acquiesced to a pay cut due to the pandemic, Pacquiao has way too much cache to even consider performing for a reduction in purse or without screaming fans. 

“Logic would tell you that with the kind of money the senator is going to command for any fight he takes, there would have to be some fans in the stands,” said head of Pacquiao Promotions, Sean Gibbons to Yahoo Sports. “It’s the same with [Deontay] Wilder and [Tyson] Fury and Anthony Joshua. You need crowds to generate the kind of money it takes to put on an event like that.”

The names rattled off by Gibbons, ironically enough, are all believed to have no issue performing in front of no fans. 

Joshua is set to defend his heavyweight titles sometime in July against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev without a single soul in attendance. Fury and Wilder, on the other hand, are targeting a date in December with reportedly little to no fans at all. 

Still, with those aforementioned fighters still carving out their legacies, the cement on Pacquaio’s has long dried.

“The Senator is long past the point of having to prove anything. He’s in his 26th year and with what he’s done, it’s enough to get him in the Hall of Fame 10 times over. He wants to give the fans what they want.”

If by some chance fans are able to attend Pacquiao’s next foray into the ring, there are countless names that he could find himself matched up against. But while most would love to see how he stacks up against WBO titlist Terence Crawford or unified champion Errol Spence Jr., Gibbons views a victory over any of the top names in the welterweight division as icing on an already perfect cake. 

“Let’s be honest, here: At this stage, there is nothing he could do to top what he’s already done. What does it mean to him now to beat the best welterweights out there? Been there, done that. At this point, Manny is on a sort of a victory lap, and he’ll let the fans speak and then make a decision.”

Posted on 09/29/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Early last week, UFC star Conor McGregor made serious headlines when he announced that he would be taking on WBA welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao in his next ring contest.

McGregor, 32, hasn’t laced up a pair of gloves since his 10th round stoppage loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Despite his hiatus from the ring and his lack of success in the UFC’s octagon, losing via rear naked choke to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 and winning by knockout against the long faded Donald Cerrone in 2020, he now finds himself on the verge of facing the only eight division world champion that boxing has ever seen in Pacquiao.

“I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East,” said McGregor on his social media account. “It will be a true honour to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era.”

Pacquiao on the other hand, has been dead silent. But with his special assistant in Jayke Joson jumping up to confirm McGregor’s announcement, there could be some validity behind it.

“For the sake of all the Filipino COVID-19 victims, Senator Manny Pacquiao will be fighting UFC superstar Conor McGregor next year,” said Pacquiao’s special assistant Jayke Joson. “The huge portion of his earnings will proceed to those who are affected nationwide by the pandemic.”

While fans of McGregor are jumping for joy over the news, one man who isn’t amused is Mikey Garcia. The former four division world champion has been chasing a fight with Pacquiao for years. Following a one sided win in his last contest against former two division belt holder in Jessie Vargas, Garcia found himself in the driver seat of a Pacquiao clash and he isn’t about to let someone from an entirely different sport skip the line.

“McGregor has to take a number. Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is with me, 100%.”

At the moment, the sports landscape is difficult to predict. With fighters becoming less active due to COVID-19, it’s almost impossible to pencil in a date for anyone. Ironically enough, Garcia couldn’t lock in a date for his Pacquiao clash either. But he did give a rough guess as to when fans can expect it to go down.

“I think it will be sometime in 2021.”

Posted on 08/18/2020

By: Hans Themistode

The unveiling of Shawn Porter’s opponent this upcoming weekend was disappointing to most. 

After spending four years taking on some of the welterweight divisions best in Errol Spence Jr, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Andre Berto — Porter’s upcoming matchup against the unheralded Sebastian Formella left plenty to be desired. 

Through 22 career fights, Formella managed to pick up wins every single time he stepped into the ring. But the squared circle will feel somewhat different as he will be making his U.S debut. 

When Porter looks to the left, he notices that both of his former opponents in Garcia and Spence Jr. are set to square off in November. When he looks to the right, talks between Thurman and current WBO belt holder Terence Crawford have intensified. Even when he looks straight ahead to his matchup with Formella, Porter notices Sergey Lipinets vs Kudratillo Abdukakhorov for the interim IBF title in his peripheral vision. 

Meanwhile, Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs) is stuck facing a virtual unknown. 

While he isn’t overlooking his opponent this upcoming weekend, Porter does wish a certain eight division world champion would pick up the phone and give him a call.

“That’s on Manny and his team,” said Porter to FightHype when asked about a possible Manny Pacquiao fight. “He’s earned the right to do what he wants to do.”

With Pacquiao seemingly more interested in facing either Crawford or former four division world champion Mikey Garcia, Porter can’t help but scratch his head and wonder why he isn’t in the running. The skills are obvious, but if we cast that aside and look at their possible matchup from an entertainment standpoint, then Porter is even more convinced that he should be facing him this weekend and not Formella. 

“There’s a lot of history there with myself and Manny Pacquiao,” explained Porter. “If you look at us as fighters, in the welterweight division, we are the most exciting. You know what’s going to happen when Shawn Porter steps into the ring and Manny Pacquiao. We never disappoint.” 

Even at the age of 41, Pacquiao has put away his walking cane and given fighters of this generation a boxing lesson in the ring. Most recently, the current WBA titlist was seen handing Thurman the first loss of his professional career. 

Porter was there live for their contest, and while he knows how dangerous Pacquiao is in the ring, he also fully believes that their contest would end in only one way if they matched up.

“I’m confident that I would beat him in a fight. We’ve seen in the past where a great fighter comes along and beats a fighter that was great. That’s what would happen.”