Manny Pacquiao was optimistic he would land a massive fight in the coming months when speaking at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou event in Saudi Arabia.
However, options to face Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Jaber Zayani have fallen apart.
Pacquiao is now tipped to resurrect his forgotten clash with Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek.
Banchemek fights this weekend in an event WBN stated would jeopardize his scheduled exhibition with Pacquiao. That will be the case if Buakaw has to take any significant punishment.
Speaking ahead of his rematch encounter with Nayanesh Ayman at the Rajadamnern World Series, Buakaw eluded to a code switch.
Manny Pacquiao vs Buakaw
“I might transition into the other fight style. An intense style because I like a challenge; I like to test my limits,” said Buakaw on a potential Pacquiao fight. “I want to see if I can make it on the world stage.”
At the press conference last summer to announce the Manny Pacquiao vs Buakaw event, it was revealed that $25 million is on the table in investments. Therefore, getting the fight on is in both men’s interests.
Pacquiao, who is running out of options, said: “I’m happy to be back here. My last fight here was in 1998.
“I must prepare, knowing I will need at least 90% to deal with Buakaw. Muay Thai, I like it. But it must be difficult to use all those elbows, kicks, and knees. Probably Muay Thai is harder than boxing.”
Khan and Mayweather
The Amir Khan fight, which Pacquiao spoke about in Riyadh last October, has seen little movement despite initial excitement.
“I’m so thankful to you [Top Rank] and God for this opportunity. I’m thankful for inviting me here,” he said.
“This is my first time [in Saudi Arabia]. It’s so beautiful and nice to be here. I hope to come back here [maybe one day to fight].”
Asked directly about Khan, Pacquiao added: “We’re working with it? Yeah, we’re [working on it]. That is possible. That would be good fun. It would be, It would be.
“It’s going to be here now [in the Middle East if the fight is made].”
On potentially facing Floyd Mayweather again, Pacquiao said the fight was in the works for December in Japan. That isn’t happening either.
Mayweather confirmed his return to Las Vegas this February for a return with John Gotti III. The event will be part of Super Bowl weekend.
This leaves Pacquiao scrambling for an alternative, with Buakaw already in place to accept the challenge.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
