What’s better than being the world’s only eight-division champion? A ninth weight class to rule.
That is Senator Manny Pacquiao’s plan, as according to confidant and head trainer Freddie Roach. The reigning WBA World Welterweight Champion intends to challenge current IBF and IBO middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.
“There are always good fights out there. The one thing about Manny is he doesn’t want to beat anybody — he wants to beat the best out there. He wants to fight the top guys,” Roach, who has been with Pacquiao for almost two decades, told DAZN.com.
“The thing is Manny maybe might want to go a little higher and fight GGG or one of those guys who is supposed to be one of the best in the world today.”
In his stellar 25-year career, Pacquiao has won world titles in the flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, super featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight divisions.
At the age of 40, he became the oldest welterweight champion after putting on a 12-round clinic against Keith Thurman to win the WBA crown last July 20, 2019.
Golovkin, on the other hand, owns both IBF and IBO belts, claiming them after defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko last October 5, 2019.
But there are other world-class pugs Pacquiao is itching to face.
“Mikey Garcia has called him out a couple of times. I think that’s a good fight for him, of course. Robert [Garcia] called him out on one of your shows, that made me smile because I like that fight for Manny. I think it’s a great fight,” continued Roach.
Though Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39KO) has nothing left to prove in the sport, he now aims to be the best that ever entered the squared circle.
“Pacquiao still desires to be the best there is.”
