Manny Pacquiao may well still fight in 2026, with ongoing conversations behind the scenes set to reach a conclusion soon one way or another.
The 47-year-old fighting icon returned to professional action last year, fighting then-WBC welterweight world champion Mario Barrios to a draw.
Pacquiao made it clear soon after the fight that he would compete again in the paid ranks, refusing to return to the exhibition circuit. A rematch with Floyd Mayweather was announced, but has been postponed indefinitely.
In recent weeks, ‘PacMan’ has been linked to the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua card, with broadcaster Netflix reportedly keen to have him in the co-main event to drive worldwide appeal.
Shakur Stevenson was initially mentioned as an opponent, but the American’s promoter, Dana White, ruled it out completely.
Boxing Scene then revealed that both Amir Khan and Danny Garcia have made it onto a list of potential opponents, and Garcia – whose team reportedly turned down $3 million for the fight in 2016 – has now responded.
Speaking on The Last Stand podcast, Garcia said he has heard the same news, but there has been no official approach.
“My partner, Mike, he was speaking to somebody and said I was on a list of potential fights for Manny, but I don’t know how real it was cause I never spoke to anybody. It was just, ‘you’re name’s on the list and he might fight you.’
“In the back of my mind, I can’t see Manny Pacquiao fighting me. I still can punch, I’m bigger than him… I mean, I’m here if he wants to choose me. It was he-say, she-say, basically.”
Asked directly if he would take the fight, Garcia said yes.
“To be honest, there’s only a couple of fights that would make me come out of retirement. Of course Manny Pacquiao’s one.”
Garcia claimed unified titles at super-lightweight before moving up to capture the WBC welterweight belt.
The Philadelphia native built one of the strongest resumes of his era, securing signature victories over Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, and Zab Judah, while consistently facing elite contemporaries like Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence Jr.
He officially called time on his 18-year professional career in October 2025. After a bruising ninth-round stoppage loss to WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara in September 2024, Garcia engineered his own exit, booking a farewell fight at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, where he knocked out Daniel Gonzalez.
The former two-weight world champion named Floyd Mayweather as the other man who could get him to return to the ring, but for now, the Pacquiao fight seems more realistic.
