Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions believes that Manny Pacquiao could still return to the boxing ring even after the 2025 national elections.
Pacquiao, who turns 46 this month, is aiming for a comeback to the Philippine Senate but has not completely set aside the idea of boxing.
“He’s running for Senate in the Philippines from February 11 to May 11. If he gets something by January 31, 2025, he’s ready to rumble,” said Pacquiao’s right-hand man in BoxingScene. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after that. With Manny, he could be fighting until he’s 50.”
Pacquiao had been linked to a potential fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios earlier this year but showed signs of vulnerability during his exhibition match against Rukiya Anpo.
According to Gibbons, there are underlying reasons behind Pacquiao’s lackluster performance in the exhibition.
“Manny didn’t look as good against Anpo because of a lot of things behind the scenes that went into it,” Gibbons explained. “He didn’t overly prepare for it. He thought he was fighting someone else, and it ended up being a bigger guy. He felt great. What else can you do? It was an exhibition. He was there just to move around. The other guy thought it was a real fight. He came to make a name off of Manny, and Manny still easily cruised through the thing for a guy that got off the couch.”
“I told Manny that the Barrios fight was the perfect fight to make. Things got in the way with certain people in his ear, but that fight is still possible. It could happen in June, July, or August—one last one.”
