Manny Pacquiao has a long list of opponents, including Conor McGregor

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  • Nick Parkinson

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      • Boxing reports for ESPN.co.uk, as well as a number of national newspapers
      • We have been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years
      • Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters exhibition

With the clock ticking down on the legendary career of 42-year-old Manny Pacquiao, the choice of his next enemy will be interesting. Are belts important for a fighter who has won world titles in eight weight classes? Or is it more about blocking the most possible investigations against the highest profile opponent?

Pacquiao (62-7-3, 39 KOs) is set to press in two fights before launching his ambitious bid to become President of the Philippines later this year. The focus is on the first fight for the last week of April or the first week of May. This was Pacquiao’s first since July 2019, when he defeated Keith Thurman through a split decision for the WBA world welterweight title.

Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame deserves a legacy already secured, so who will fit the bill for this final phase of his career?

Errol Spence (27-0, 21 KO)

Pacquiao was recently named the WBA’s “champion in recess”, which has taken away one of his citation points about facing one of the other 147-pound world title holders, as it eliminates the possibility of a unification bout.

With Yordenis Ugas of Cuba now holding the WBA title, IBF-WBC champion Spence is more likely to be fooled by the chance to win a third belt than by facing Pacquiao.

Ugas, Spence and Pacquiao are all under the banner of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), so both fights are possible, and Spence is an attractive option for Pac Man. Pacquiao wants a big payday, as his days at the peak of boxing are numbered, and there would be plenty of interest in fighting Spence. But Texas boxer, 2019 world champion, appearing more likely to pursue Ugas after them recently exchanged tweets on the issue.

Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KO)

This is the biggest fight out there for Pacquiao, in terms of reputation. Crawford is ESPN ‘s pound – for – pound at No. 1, and Pacquiao insists a $ 40 million fight would cost him, according to comments he made to the Daily Tribune in the Philippines. But that looks impractical considering gateway revenue limits due to COVID-related current restrictions on population size.

Crawford, 33, placed WBO world weight champion Pacquiao at the top of his list after his last win, a blow from former champion Kell Brook in November, while Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the Middle East could be a place that could be. But that fight did not improve and Crawford has recently been linked with Vergil Ortiz Jr. In my opinion, Spence is a more likely fighter for Pacquiao than Crawford.

Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KO)

Boxing’s latest young man confirmed his interest in fighting Pacquiao, a 20-year-old senior man, when he shared a joke on a fight poster showing the two to the 8.5 million people- followed his Instagram last month.

But don’t believe the hype. Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN Knockout “fights aren’t going to happen. He said:” They contacted us, but there seems to be nothing to talk about. “

Garcia, who is based in Los Angeles, and who greatly defeated Luke Campbell by beating Jan. 2, instead tie it to a bout against Javier Fortuna, with a date against Teofimo Lopez, the undisputed lightweight world champion on deck.

Mikey Garcia (40-1, 30 KO)

If Garcia fights the next Pacquiao, it is more likely to be Mikey, who, like Pacquiao, is under the banner of Premier Boxing Champions.

Garcia, 33, from California, is at the same height as Pacquiao – 5-foot-6 – and against not as strong as Spence or Crawford. Garcia has won world titles in four weight classes but began winning belts at featherweight instead of lightweight, where Crawford first became a world champion.

Garcia had an inexplicable debate at welterweight against Spence two years ago before winning a better performance and a unanimous decision over Jesse Vargas a year ago. With Garcia not yet establishing himself as a force at welterweight, as well as the ease of making the internal fight with PBC, Mikey is a strong contender to oppose Pac Man the beginning in 2021.

Conor McGregor (0-1)

The two-division UFC champion was scraped off the list of potential opponents for Pacquiao’s next fight after his UFC 257 loss at the hands of Dustin Poirier. McGregor had said there were escalating talks for Pacquiao’s bout before he lost Jan. 23, but it now appears that McGregor’s next move was a rematch and trilogy meeting with Poirer.

McGregor is an attractive and rewarding fight for Pacquiao – but not the next one. Pacquiao must hope that life is still in the fight – and time to make it happen – down the road. McGregor and Pacquiao at management company Paradigm Sports are both on their schedule, so don’t write that fight yet. It has an attractive appeal, and the ability to generate more money than anyone else on this list.

Other potential Pacquiao opponents: Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Keith Thurman

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