The boxing world was shaken when Manny Pacquiao returned to the ring in July, ending a four-year hiatus to face Mario Barrios. Although many saw his performance as deserving of victory, the fight ended in a controversial majority decision draw. Now, at 46 years of age, the legendary boxer has sparked debate about the next step in what could be the final chapter of his legendary career.
Among those seeking a rematch, none have been as vocal as Keith Thurman. The former unified welterweight champion, who also recently returned from a period of inactivity, has stoked the flames of the rivalry by questioning Pacquiao’s tactics during their 2019 fight. Speaking to YSM Sports Media, Thurman made a strong accusation: “Manny Pacquiao is his own referee”. According to him, Pacquiao used to call for breaks and mark his own low blows.
Strong accusations
For Thurman, a second fight is a chance to settle the score, as the split-decision victory Pacquiao snatched from him in 2019 remains the only defeat in his career. That victory made Pacquiao the oldest welterweight champion in history at 40 years old.
“I don’t know how much you know about Manny Pacquiao’s history, he calls his own breaks, he calls his own low blows, he’ll deduct a point when he wants to, so you have to be careful with Manny Pacquiao being his own judge in there,” Thurman explained
“You know it’s hard, there’s a part of me that would love to have the opportunity to come back to this arena to fight Manny Pacquiao again,” added the boxer.
The other candidates
Thurman is not the only one looking for the opportunity to fight the legend. Pacquiao’s advisor, Sean Gibbons, has named Rolly Romero and Gervonta Davis as two “ideal alternative opponents” for the Filipino’s next outing.
Former IBF super lightweight champion Liam Paro has publicly expressed his interest. The Australian has proposed a particularly intriguing scenario: to lure Pacquiao back to Australia, the same place where “Pac-Man” suffered a shock defeat against Jeff Horn in 2017.
There are many interested candidates, but the last word will be from Manny Pacquiao, who is keeping everyone guessing and generating uncertainty in the boxing world as to when, where and against whom his next fight will be.
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