LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao “has a lot” more to give boxing despite his underwhelming performance against the Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo on July 28 in Tokyo.
That’s according to his long-time manager Sean Gibbons, who exclusively told World Boxing News this week that, though Pacquiao has one real fight left in him, they are under time constraints to get it done.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t come in at 100%” for the Anpo exhibition, Gibbons told WBN exclusively. “And he was lackadaisical.”
WBN previously noted Pacquiao’s struggles in the Super RIZIN 3 exhibition. Gibbons said he’s seen and heard all of the criticism. “But, I know Manny,” he said. “I see him in the gym. Manny Pacquiao still has a lot to give, one more time, for the right opponent.”
He continued: “It’s a shame because he looked like a dad bod coming off the couch.
“It was an exhibition, so he really didn’t focus on the thing, and unfortunately, it kind of hurt him. But I know Manny. I know what he has left. So, we’ll see what happens with one more [fight].”
As previously reported by World Boxing News, that one fight may involve the WBC’s welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
“If we make a fight, it should be Barrios,” Gibbons told us, adding: “We’ve got a very short window to do it. It’s got to happen by October or November … at the very latest December.”
Gibbons told us the prospective Barrios vs Pacquiao world title fight would “absolutely be a Las Vegas fight.”
And he said it would, essentially, be “the farewell.”
He said: “People were wanting to see Manny so badly after the Yordenis Ugas fight. They were saying, ‘One more, Manny’!”
Gibbons is currently in Los Angeles representing Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, who fights Jose Valenzuela in the co-main event of the Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov show, which takes place Saturday at the 22,000-capacity BMO Stadium.
World Boxing News has also been on the ground, and from the events Riyadh Season and Matchroom organized on the Santa Monica pier and at the Chinese Theater, it’s clear Cruz is a fan favorite.
Gibbons even says Cruz is comparable to Pacquiao.
“Manny’s a lot like ‘Pitbull’ and has Julio Cesar Chavez in him, too, as they’re such popular guys,” he said.
Should a fight involving the 45-year-old Pacquiao and 29-year-old Barrios go ahead by mid-December, there’ll be a 16-year age gap between the two boxers. Pacquiao turns 46 on December 17.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
