For a year or so, it felt like a bit of a joke that Manny Pacquiao was strongly considering coming out of retirement to fight again. The legendary boxer was 45 years old when the rumors began surfacing, but it took a long time for anything real to come to fruition. But it finally did in 2025.
Despite being out of the sport for four years, Pacquiao came back to an immediate shot at a world title. Not many gave him much of a chance against Mario Barrios, but the 46-year-old showed his class in what ended as a majority draw in July. Following the fight, it sounded like Pacquiao wanted to keep going, fueled by a strong performance. In fact, he looked so good that his next bout may be another world title fight.
Manny Pacquiao confirms Rolly Romero fight is close to being done
During a press conference in the Philippines, Pacquiao confirmed that a fight against Rolly Romero is very well on its way to becoming a reality. He was asked about the reports about a potential fight and he responded by saying that “we are negotiating and finalizing“.
Romero is coming off of a stunning victory over Ryan Garcia in May, and currently holds the WBA welterweight championship belt after Jaron “Boots” Ennis vacated it in August. Romero has been outspoken about his willingness to fight Pacquiao, saying it would help his resume tremendously to defeat a Hall of Famers like PacMan.
It’s looking likely that a main event between Pacquiao and Romero will happen. Pacquiao would surely love for it to be facilitated quickly, as he turns 47 years old in December.
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