Manny Pacquiao‘s return to the ring may come sooner than expected.
The Filipino icon made a sensational comeback in July at the age of 46 when he challenged Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
There were a lot of concerns for Pacquiao heading into the bout that he may be unable to still compete at the top level, having not had a professional bout since August 2021 and his last win coming back in July 2019.
He proved a lot of those doubters wrong though after going the entire 12 rounds with Barrios, as the fight ended in a majority decision draw thanks to scorecards of 115-113 Barrios and 114-114 twice.
Some onlookers felt that Pacquiao should have got his hand raised in the fight, but regardless of the result he revealed in the aftermath that he does plan to continue boxing.
It appears that he now has a date for when that will be, as he told Dyan Castillejo that plans are in place for him to return before the end of 2025.
“This year. December.”
A rematch with Barrios was originally suggested as what the next move would be for Pacquiao, but as the dust continued to settle from their initial meeting, it seems that other options are now being explored.
Those include the likes of current WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero, along with former interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia, with the pair both making it clear that they would relish the chance to face Pacquiao. The Filipino’s team have also named Gervonta Davis as a target.
With a potential return to the ring just four months away, it’s likely that a decision on who the Filipino icon will face next will have to be decided soon.