Manny Pacquiao’s plans for the remainder of 2026 have been forced to pivot after his proposed rematch with Floyd Mayweather was pushed back indefinitely.
The eight-division world champion returned to professional boxing last year, fighting then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a draw. Pacquiao has repeatedly insisted that he is not yet finished with the sport and has been targeting one final run of high-profile fights.
A rematch with long-time rival Mayweather had been expected to headline his schedule, but those plans were put on hold after the American’s ongoing legal issues delayed negotiations.
As a result, Pacquiao’s team are now exploring alternative options to keep the Filipino icon active before any eventual meeting with ‘Money’.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, Jas Mathur, confirmed that the team were actively working on a new opportunity for the 47-year-old, and signalled that he believes the Mayweather fight will take place after that.
“We’re working on it. We’re looking at different options. We want to be very careful, of course – we are under contract at this time – but yes, we are working on trying to get an alternate fight or something in place for Manny at this moment. We want it to be the right opportunity with the right partners, and also so he has enough time for his camp against Floyd.”
Should he look to make a second attempt at breaking his own world record as the oldest welterweight world champion, he must target Devin Haney, Rolando Romero, Ryan Garcia or Liam Paro.
