Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao could return to the boxing ring in May or June of 2018, and the fight could take place in Malaysia.
The former WBO welterweight world champion is currently busy with his political duties as a Senator in the Philippines, but he was able to give an interview to reporter Dyan Castillejo on Tuesday hinting at his next boxing bout.
“Definitely, Malaysia is where we will fight next. If not in May, coming June or maybe the third week of June, so preparation won’t conflict with my work schedule,” Pacquiao told Filipino media giant ABS-CBN.
The decision to fight in Malaysia is financial, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum originally wanted Pacquiao to fight Mike Alvarado on the undercard of the upcoming April Terence Crawford vs. Jeff Horn ESPN Pay-Per-View.
Arum recently told Boxing Scene a group of investors contacted Pacquiao to hold a fight in Malaysia so that could be a possible option for his next bout if the offer was lucrative enough.
If the offer is real and the financial terms and scheduling is ideal Manny Pacquiao could be making his Malaysian debut.
It is uncertain if Pacquiao will still fight Mike Alvarado or if the fight will be held on regular ESPN or on Pay-Per-View.
If it were up to Arum he would want Manny to fight Alvarado, but Manny would like to fight Argentine power puncher and new WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse or knockout artist Danny Garcia.
