SPORTS FACTS AND FIGURES 37: MANNY PACQUIAO AIMS TO UNRETIRE AND FIGHT GERVONTA DAVIS, RYAN GARCIA OR CONOR MCGREGOR
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 06 Feb 2024
Manny Pacquiao is ready to come out of retirement and face probable opponents. The eight-division champion retired in 2021 after losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas, and has fought exhibition bouts like the other superstars who have retired from active pro boxing.
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The 45-year-old Filipino boxing icon will fight for another exhibition on April 20 against Muay Thai fighter Buakaw Banchamek in Thailand. The Filipino boxing icon has also called to fight an exhibition with archrival Floyd Mayweather and planned to box in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Sean Gibbons, President of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, who acts as an agent and advisor for the former senator in boxing, is receptive of the move of Pacquiao making a return to professional boxing.
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“Technically he's out of retirement,” Gibbons told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “He would love to fight Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia. He's got about a year left. He just wants to fight. Manny feels that he's in tremendous shape. He's training for this exhibition but hopefully that will lead to something bigger and better. I do [see a pro return for Pacquiao],'" added Gibbons.
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"One of the fights that people talked about for a long time was Manny Pacquiao versus Conor McGregor. That's something that will be sensational in Saudi Arabia, let's go. It will be a good place to do it. It's really simple. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, [the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia], loves big events, and he's putting on the best events. It's a very intriguing and fun fight bringing two of the biggest names together in combat sports," said Gibbons.
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Pacquiao has been hugging the headlines for a planned fight with McGregor and Garcia in the past four years. Last October, Pacquiao stated he is interested in facing Davis. “Gervonta Davis is a good fighter. He's a good fighter, yeah. If he comes up to 147, we can fight – 145, maybe. That's not a problem for me. I am an experienced fighter,” Pacquiao was quoted.
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Pacquiao won an exhibition bout with DK Yoo by unanimous decision in a six-round match on December 11, 2022 at the Korea International Exhibition Center, Goyang, South Korea.
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He fought his first exhibition against Jesus Salud winning on points in three rounds on August 20, 2002 when he was still 23 years, 246 days at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
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Muhammad Ali only lost one fight by knockout and the first-ever three-time world heavyweight champion. He won 22 heavyweight championship fights with 19 successful defenses with a 56-5 career record with 37 knockout wins.
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Sports History: February 5, 2009. Joe Calzaghe retired unbeaten in 46 bouts as a two weight champion. He is the longest-reigning super middleweight world champion in boxing history, and held the WBO title for more than 10 years and defended it against 20 opponents, a record in the division he shared with Sven Ottke, then moved up to light heavyweight. His super middleweight and light heavyweight reigns overlapped, and he retired with the longest continuous time as world champion for any active boxer at that time.
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February 6, 1967. Muhammad Ali unified his WBC world heavyweight title with the WBA title, defeating the WBA world heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell by a fifteen-round unanimous decision.
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