WHO WILL PACQUIAO FIGHT NEXT?
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Mar 2018
Manny Pacquiao might not be facing Mike Alvarado on April 14 as previously announced by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. The fight is uncertain, according to Lance Pugmire of the LA Times. Pacquiao and Alvarado?s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank is expected to make an official statement on the Pacquiao fight next week.
WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn will still be defending his title against mandatory challenger Terence Crawford on April 14 on ESPN at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If Pacquiao is not on the card, then it will be too difficult for Arum to sell the Horn vs. Crawford fight to the paying viewers on ESPN PPV, since Horn-Crawford match is not a PPV material. Even if Pacquiao will fight Alvarado in the co-feature, still it won't be a PPV deserving card.
Everything is still uncertain about Pacquiao vs. Alvarado. Possibly, the 39-year-old Pacquiao was affected by criticisms of his fighting the waning 37-year-old Alvarado, and realized that it would not in anyway boost his dwindling boxing career.
Besides, the case of Pacquiao being demoted to the undercard of the Jeff Horn vs. Terence Crawford match is degrading for the fighting senator once regarded as pound-for-pound king of the world. Crawford and Horn are not blockbuster stars in the boxing world, and it would be ugly for his supporters if Pacquiao would fight on their undercard.
?We?re going to have an announcement in the next couple days. I can?t talk about it,? Arum told LA Times about Pacquiao?s position regarding the Horn-Crawford showdown.
If Pacquiao decides to fight again, he might not hire the services of his trainer Freddie Roach. The coach says he has not communicated with Pacquiao since his loss to Jeff Horn on July 2 in Brisbane, Australia.
Roach says he tried calling Pacquiao five times, but the fighter did not answer the phone or called him back. Because of such scenario, Roach still in a quandary if Pacquiao will be hiring him for his next fight. Pacquiao?s assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez is rumored to be the possible substitute for Roach.
?I usually leave him alone until I hear from him, but I?ve called him five times and haven?t heard back,? Roach said to the LA Times. ?Maybe he changed his number.?
Pacquiao was badly bullied by Horn last July, and Roach did not take action to persuade the referee case to control the fight to stop the violent tactics. Pacquiao was head-butted and pushed frequently during the fight.
If Pacquiao would change his trainer, it probably won?t affect the way he fights. Roach would give Pacquiao instructions in the corner during his fights, but the Filipino icon was practically fighting the same style all throughout. It will still be smart if Buboy takes over as Pacquiao?s trainer, as long as he won't be matched with younger and lethal foes like Crawford.
The top two officials at Top Rank, revealed two weeks ago the move of Pacquiao's tentative scheduled return from Madison Square Garden to Mandalay Bay on April 14. Arum clarified that unbeaten Terence Crawford, the former unified light welterweight champion, will definitely be fighting WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn of Australia on April 14 at Mandalay Bay in a fight to be broadcast on ESPN.
There is also the plan of pitting him against two-division champion Vasyl Lomachenko or the Crawford-Horn winner. A fight with the dangerous Lomachenko or with the talented Crawford, is very hazardous for an advanced aged and busy legislator-boxer.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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