Manny Pacquiao’s hopes of rewriting his own record have hit an early stumbling block.
The Filipino icon became the oldest welterweight champion in history back in 2019 when he outpointed Keith Thurman to claim the WBA title at the age of 40.
Now, six years later, he’s aiming to win back the belt from its current holder, Rolly Romero. But despite his plans, it appears an immediate shot at Romero isn’t going to happen just yet.
Pacquiao’s fight with Romero has been called off
There had been discussions for months between Manny Pacquiao and Rolly Romero’s teams.
It was looking like only a matter of time before their WBA welterweight title fight was made official.
“Talks to match up Manny Pacquiao in a title shot vs. Rolly Romero in early 2026 have collapsed, sources tell @ringmagazine,” he wrote on social media. “Pacquiao still exploring the Floyd Mayweather rematch.”
Romero, meanwhile, has a looming mandatory vs. Shakhram Giyasov.”
What’s next for Pacquiao?
Tyson is coming off a recent exhibition bout with Jake Paul, but a hand injury in the third round forced him to retire.
Following that result, Gibbons outlined what Manny Pacquiao wants to do next.
He said: “Manny wants real fights – big fights, entertaining fights.
“That goes back to Gervonta [Davis], [Floyd] Mayweather, and Ryan [Garcia].
“These are the types of fights Manny would take. They move, they’re skilled, they’re not overly dangerous for a 47-year-old guy in the ring. At this age, it’s prizefighting. And whatever the biggest prize is, Manny’s not worried.
He’s running, training and fired up by his son Jimuel. One of the biggest things we want to do is have Manny and Jimuel on the same show — father and son.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
