Manny Pacquiao’s 2026 fight plans are becoming more uncertain by the day as another fight appears to be in jeopardy, despite being previously announced.
Two months ago, it was unveiled that Pacquiao would rematch long-term foe Floyd Mayweather in a professional bout at the The Sphere in Las Vegas, with the latter ending a nine-year retirement and placing his fabled 50-0 record on the line.
However, confusion has recently arisen, with Mayweather instead stating that the contest will be an exhibition – his third of the year due to scheduled bouts against Mike Tyson and Mike Zambidis.
Pacquiao’s team have since declared that they have signed for a professional affair, with a more conclusive and official update expected imminently.
In preparation for what could be the biggest boxing card of the 2026 calendar, Pacquiao was hoping to keep active with an April 18 exhibition against former WBO super-lightweight world champion, Ruslan Provodnikov, best known for his war with Tim Bradley back in 2013.
Yet, speaking with World Boxing News, Provodnikov’s manager Vadim Kornilov told that he was unclear as to whether the fight was happening or not, just 17 days out from the proposed fight date.
“I am waiting on an update this week. I have not heard anything concrete up to date,”
“Unfortunately I heard nothing. I don’t have any update on whether the fight is happening or not.”
Reports suggest Pacquiao-Provodnikov could be postponed until the summer or cancelled entirely, with the event assumed to hinge on whether Mayweather-Pacquiao II will go ahead in September.
