Legendary 8-divsion boxing champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is busy as a Senator in the Philippines, but he is eager to return to the sport that made him a global icon in 2021.
Pacquiao turned 42 on December 17th and hasn’t fought since beating Keith Thurman for the WBA welterweight title in July 2019, he was set to make his ring return a few months later only for the coronavirus pandemic to shutdown the majority of businesses and sporting events worldwide.
The Filipino southpaw best known for his high offensive output and relentless pressure was originally going to fight a unification bout in November with undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in Qatar according to Top Rank’s Bob Arum, but the fight was nixed because of the COVID-19 restrictions against live audiences imposed by the Minister of Health in Qatar.
Pacquiao has made it known that he would rather fight with a live audience in attendance and believes in 2021 with vaccines being rolled out it would be possible.
In an interview with ANC News, Pacquiao said he wants to fight UFC fighter Conor McGregor the most before undefeated American champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. because he wants to experience how it is to fight an MMA fighter.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. had a boxing match with Conor McGregor in 2017 that sold 4.3 million PPV buys. The fight with Mayweather was McGregor’s first boxing fight and in his pro boxing debut he lost by stoppage in round ten to the undefeated American star but made over $100 million in the process.
McGregor is the biggest name in Mixed Martial Arts and has the highest PPV numbers of any UFC star and Pacquiao is likely eying the fight with the Irish MMA fighter for financial purposes.
The fight could be a reality since Pacquiao signed with Paradigm the same sports management company that handles McGregor.
Pacquiao could run for President of the Philippines in 2022 and a fight with McGregor would surely bring in the money to help fund his Presidential campaign.
