Manny Pacquiao was in talks to fight WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero early next year and “Rolly” even went so far as to file an exemption request to postpone his mandatory title defense against Shakhram Giyasov. Probably because a “Pac Man” fight would command a much higher purse.
Not happening.
“Talks to match up Manny Pacquiao in a title shot vs. Rolly Romero in early 2026 have collapsed, sources tell Ring Magazine,“ Mike Coppinger wrote on social media. ”Pacquiao still exploring the Floyd
Mayweather rematch. Romero, meanwhile, has a looming mandatory [title defense] vs. Shakhram Giyasov.“
The 47 year-old Pacquiao has also been linked to a possible Floyd Mayweather rematch on Netflix, though talks have yet to progress beyond the “exploratory” stage. In addition, the 48 year-old Mayweather previously announced a Mike Tyson mega-fight for early 2026 that still has no date or location.
Pacquiao (62-8-3), who almost found himself in an “illegal” boxing match with former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, came out of retirement last July and battled WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw.
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