Manny Pacquiao hasn’t given up on the dream of becoming world champion once again. After coming close to an incredible achievement this summer, when he drew against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old Filipino is now in advanced negotiations to face WBA titleholder Rolando “Rolly” Romero. The latter captured the belt by upsetting Ryan Garcia in the unusual event held at Times Square last May.
Many feared that Pacquiao’s return to the ring after nearly four years of inactivity would end in complete disaster. Instead, the Asian legend—although in a rather slow-paced fight—managed to hold his own against a much younger opponent, coming within inches of glory.
The verdict of the Barrios fight divided public opinion. Some believe Pac-Man did enough to earn the win, while others think the judges were somewhat generous in granting the former legend a draw. It was indeed a difficult fight to score, with many close rounds where Barrios’ higher work rate clashed with Pacquiao’s sharper but less frequent bursts of offense.
Romero, for his part, stunned the boxing world by taking the title when everyone saw him as a mere sacrificial victim. The Times Square event was mainly intended to promote a potential rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, who would have faced each other again had they both won that night.
While Haney did his job—defeating Jose Ramirez in a dull fight—Garcia was caught off guard by the daring Romero, who dropped him in the second round and never allowed him to recover for the remainder of the bout.
It’s hard to assess the real value of that victory. Ryan Garcia was coming off a turbulent period following a doping suspension and well-documented addiction issues, even acknowledged by his father, so it’s unclear what kind of shape he was in on fight night.
If finalized, Pacquiao vs Romero could play out very differently from Pacquiao vs Barrios. Rolly is an aggressive fighter, known for loading up on most of his punches and showing little interest in fencing or the use of the jab—the exact opposite of the WBC champion, who tried to keep Manny at bay with straight shots.
We’ll see whether negotiations will succeed and if the indestructible Filipino icon can pull off yet another legendary feat in his monumental career.