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| Manny Pacquiao will likely fight in an exhibition bout before battling Floyd Mayweather again, but a world title bout remains in the mix. Peter Baltazar |
MAKATI—Manny Pacquiao will likely battle in an exhibition bout before he can finally face Floyd Mayweather again in a much-anticipated rematch.
Jas Mathur, the CEO of MP Promotions, said on Monday in a media roundtable at the headquarters of Pacquiao's latest business venture, MannyPay, that the exhibition could happen before the year ends.
"Presently, there's likely going to be an exhibition that we're trying to put together in the fourth quarter of this year," Mathur said while also confirming an earlier report that the Pacquiao-Mayweather 2 has been pushed back to late January.
Whether it will finally happen as newly scheduled, according to Mathur, who took over Sean Gibbons as MP Promotions chief, will depend on when the agreements will finally take place.
"There are still other technicalities that need to be addressed before, and based off of other contractual obligations that Floyd has," Mathur further said.
At the moment, according to him, "no opponent is set in stone."
Mathur, though, clarified that MP Promotions is not closing the door on upgrading Pacquiao's next fight into an official pro boxing match.
"There's a possibility that's there, but nothing is confirmed yet," Mathur further said.
Among those who wanted to fight Pacquiao is Liam Paro, with promoter George Rose telling The Australian that a showdown between the current IBF welterweight champ and former 12-time world champ would be "sensational."
Also a possibility is a rematch between Pacquiao and Mario Barrios, whose 2025 clash for the WBC belt ended in a draw.
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