Pacquiao eyes May or July ring return

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao said he has already informed his new handlers at Premier Boxing Champions about his plan to fight again in the second or early third quarter of the year.

“Nagbigay na ako ng oras/time sa kanila. May or July ang pwede akong lumaban (I already gave them a timeline. I can fight either in May or July),” the Filipino icon told select Filipino scribes at his Senate office in Pasay City on Wednesday.

Pacquiao is coming off a one-sided victory over Adrien Broner to defend his WBA welterweight championship, and has no plans to stop soon.

As he has proven against the much younger Broner, Pacquiao still has what it takes to fight competitively even at the age of 40.

The only thing stopping him from fighting frequently is his Senate work, which he stressed is another top priority.

For Pacquiao, returning to the boxing ring in May would be the most sound option.

“Break kami next week (Senate). Hanggang May na, o di ba? May 20 na ang balik namin (We’re on Senate break by next week until May. We’ll be back by May 20),” he continued.

Provided that his plans don’t get derailed, it will be the first time in two years that Pacquiao sees action for more than once. He took only one fight each in 2017 and 2018, against Jeff Horn in Brisbane and Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, respectively.

After losing to Horn in a controversial bout, Pacquiao was reinvigorated with a long-overdue knockout victory over Matthysse. It reflected clearly in his rout of Broner in Las Vegas last January 20.

Pacquiao will have a wealth of opponents to choose from. These include fellow welterweight stars Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr.

Then there’s WBA “super champion” Keith Thurman, who called out Pacquiao after outpointing Josesito Lopez over the weekend.

A lucrative rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., meanwhile, remains up in the air.

“Hindi ko alam (I don’t know),” he said of Mayweather, who has maintained radio silence about fighting again.

Asked if he plans to sneak in a third fight by the end of the year, Pacquiao tempered expectations.

“Depende sa time ko (December fight) kasi ayoko pabayaan yung trabaho ko dito eh. Career yan (It depends on my schedule because I don’t want to abandon my Senate work here. This is a career),” he said.