Your eyes aren't deceiving you. Per none other than Bob Arum, talks are underway to have TTT's comeback match (after losing his Ring Magazine lineal / TBRB / WBO light welterweight throne against Teófimo Andrés López Rivera in June) be against the retired Filipino eight division champion. Real, sanctioned fight, not exhibition. It has previously been expected that a rematch with Jack Catterall would be next up for the Scotsman in January or February, but that appears to have been shelved for now in favor of Pacquiao. Arum says he wants Taylor in the ring no matter whom the opponent by April, with late February being targeted as the probable landing strip. Each is officially coming off a professional loss - Taylor at the hands of López and Pacquiao dropping a UD to Yordenis Ugás in August of 2021. Pacquiao fought this past spring in an exhibition bout with a South Korean martial arts Youtuber. Taylor has 12cm of height and 7cm of reach on Pacquiao, and is a dozen years his junior. The older southpaw, a future shoe-in first-ballot Hall of Famer whose induction will be further delayed by this activity, has roughly quadruple the amount of pro experience (in both contests and rounds boxed).
Win lose or draw this is a MUCH worthier legacy-honoring swansong for Pac (in terms of entertainment value) than a 12-round slog with a spoiler like Ugás.
Anybody who thinks Serge is kidding about that - he isn't. Josh named his pooch Pac-Man, and said it was in honor of the Pinoy legend.
I'm actually on the fence for this one. Assuming the Pacquiao who beat Thurman is fighting, he actually may have a shot.
I'm not sure about the science behind punch drunkenness, but in Pacquiao's case the damage may have already been done. He took an incredible amount of punishment in his career. So he seems a good candidate for later in life conditions even if he never takes another punch again.
Boring fight & it's too late now that Teo has taken Taylors belts, i suggested it long before after the Thurman fight but instead Pacquiao keeps insisting to stay at 147lb where he is better suited down below where he belongs, i rather see Pacquiao vs Khan as it was being discussed.
Taylor's fights are slow & boring flat footed most of the time then you got a 45 Year old in Pacquiao who will be even more inactive since the time he fought Ugas with two & half years out with him losing his bounce, stamina by a whole lot & his legs seem shot from his last outing. So yeah that would be boring, even more since we expect so much more by the standard that Manny Pacquiao has set. Way better options out there for Pacquiao, of course he could easily just go out there & fight a big draw opponent & them rave about how great his PPV numbers were in order to appease so many of the gullible that it was all his doing.
Taylor vs. Prograis was a FOTY contender, and even on his worst day TTT is a massive step up from Ugás in watchability.