Manny Pacquiao has faced a plethora of pound-for-pound stars over the course of an ongoing career that has lasted over three decades, but there is one man that the Filipino star still wishes he could have fought.
‘Pac Man’ took part in famous fights against the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Juan Manuel Marquez and remains in the sport today, hoping to break his own record as the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing history.
However, before the veteran can continue in that quest, he is first set to rematch Mayweather in September – but it remains unclear whether that will be in a professional or exhibition setting.
When reflecting on his 73 career bouts, the 47-year-old icon told Vibe that he still wishes he could have had the opportunity to hand Terence Crawford a first defeat, before ‘Bud’ retired with a record of 42-0.
“The Crawford fight. Because Bob Arum preserved him. I’m under Top Rank promotions, and he was under Top Rank promotions before, so I would’ve loved to fight him. But it never happened. Bob didn’t give it to me.”
Pacquiao and Crawford were linked to a fight with one another on a number of occasions and, intriguingly, when the Omaha operator was asked the same question, he claimed that he was ‘chasing the fight for years’ and wishes it could have took place.
Should he still be interested, Pacquiao went on to share his willingness to fight anybody whilst he is active in the sport, Crawford included.
“As long as I’m active in boxing, I’ll never [duck] whoever is in the line. Whoever will face me, I’ll face.”
Crawford seems uninterested in a comeback, despite the allure of a lucrative rematch with Canelo Alvarez, whilst Pacquiao appears to be tied up for 2026 due to the Mayweather debacle.
