We recently saw Manny Pacquiao take on Keith Thurman for the WBA Welterweight championship title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao lived up to his hype, solidifying himself as a legend in the boxing world by defeating Thurman by split decision with scores of 113-114, 115-112 and 115-112.
Since then, there have been questions as to who Pacquiao will face next, with plenty of rumors circulating about rematch between him and Floyd Mayweather Jr.–although Thurman is letting his feelings about that well known.
Thurman: Nobody Wants To See Pacquiao-Mayweather Rematch! https://t.co/NIc0Y3Xz7V pic.twitter.com/XFbxMyzcLv
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) August 11, 2019
Other rumors have been sparked on Pacquiao’s next opponents and both Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia have been included on the list and as favorites for Pacquiao’s camp. With the boxer turning 41 years old soon, he needs to be careful with picking opponents in order to prevent any permanent damage.
It was rumored that Mikey and Danny Garcia were set to fight each other in what would have been Mikey’s second fight at 147 pounds. Let’s take a look at the two Garcia’s a little closer to see who Pacquiao will take on next, for his 72nd professional fight.
The Garcia’s
Mikey Garcia is well-known for being a champion across four different weight divisions, another boxer who has achieved similar (but greater) feats is Manny Pacquiao himself. Mikey Garcia’s professional career currently sits at 39 wins, just one loss and 30 KOs.
The only defeat of his career just so happens to be someone who could possibly be lined up to face Pac Man in 2020–Errol Spence. Spence dominated Mikey Garcia and won by unanimous decision earlier in 2019.
Errol Spence is now slated to take on Shawn Porter in a Welterweight unification bout. The winner of that fight could look to unify their two titles against Pacquiao. You can find the latest Errol Spence vs. Shawn Porter odds here.
Garcia had moved up two weight classes in order to take on the IBF Welterweight champion, but some say he needs to take a step back down from his current 147-pound status.
Danny Garcia is set to be a much more likely opponent for the Pac Man, with coach Justin Fortune saying he hopes a Garcia fight is on the horizon. A fight against Mikey Garcia could be underwhelming for the fans, whereas a fight against Danny (someone who has more experience in the weight class) is the type of fight fans would open up their wallets for.
Danny is a former lineal Light Welterweight and WBC Welterweight champion and has a respectable professional record of 35 wins, just two close losses and 21 KOs.
Mikey and Danny are both looking to regain their status in boxing and both need a marquee victory. Mikey is simply looking to put the first Welterweight victory on his resume, while Danny is recovering from a rough patch of conceding two losses in his last four fights.
Aside from the Garcia’s, there have been other potential opponents mentioned. Fans are hopeful for Mayweather to come out of retirement (again!) for a bout against the Pac Man.
Another boxer who has mentioned himself about coming out of retirement is Marcos Madiana, but he has stated that he will only do so to face Manny Pacquiao.
Errol Spence is a likely opponent as well, having recently beaten Mikey Garcia. There is also a possibility to rematch Jeff Horn and of course his most recent opponent, Keith Thurman.
Who will prevail as the Pac Man’s next opponent? Fox put the question to their followers, do you agree? Put your prediction in the comments below.
Who’s next for the Senator?
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) July 22, 2019
