Manny Pacquiao has a long list of potential opponents, including Conor McGregor.

With time running out on the legendary career of 42-year-old Manny Pacquiao, the choice of his next opponent will be interesting. Do titles matter for a fighter who has won world titles in eight weight classes? Or is it more about cashing in the best possible chops against the highest-profile opponent?

Pacquiao (62-7-3, 39 KOs) wants to fight two bouts before he launches his bid to become president of the Philippines later this year. The first fight is scheduled for the last week of April or the first week of May. It would be Pacquiao’s first fight since July 2019, when he beat Keith Thurman by split decision for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt.

Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame-worthy legacy is already set, so who would fit right in this last half of his professional career?

Pacquiao was recently named WBA “champion in recess,” which has taken away his advantage in terms of challenging one of the others who have won the 147-pound belt, as it lessens the likelihood of a unification fight.

With Cuban Yordenis Ugas now holding the WBA title, International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Spence will be more tempted by the opportunity to win a third title than to face Pacquiao.

Ugas, Spence and Pacquiao are under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner, so any matchup is a powerhouse, and Spence is a very attractive opportunity for Pac Man. Pacquiao wants to make a large sum of money, as his time at the top level of boxing is coming to an end and a showdown with Spence would draw a lot of attention. But the Texan boxer, a world champion since 2019, seems more inclined to pursue Ugas after they recently exchanged tweets on the matter.

This is the biggest fight out there for Pacquiao in terms of prestige. Crawford is first on ESPN in terms of pound-for-pound, and Pacquiao reportedly believes that fight would be worth $40 million to him, according to the Philippines’ Daily Tribune. But that seems unrealistic when you take into account the low box office revenue due to the current Pandemic-related restrictions on the number of people in stadiums.

Crawford, 33, the (WBO) welterweight world champion Pacquiao is essential to his roster after his last win,Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the Middle East was a good venue. But that bout hasn’t developed and Crawford has been linked more recently with Vergil Ortiz Jr. In my opinion, Spence vs Pacquiao is a better matchup than against Crawford.

Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs).
Boxing’s latest young up-and-comer showed his interest in fighting Pacquiao, who there is a 20-year age difference, when he shared a mock-up of a fight poster between the two with his 8.5 million Instagram followers last month.

But don’t believe the hype. Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN Knockout “that the fight is not going to happen.” He said, “We were contacted, but it turns out there’s nothing to talk about.”

Los Angeles-based Garcia, who impressively defeated Luke Campbell by knockout on Jan. 2, is being linked to a fight against Javier Fortuna, with a date against undisputed lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez on hold.

The former two-division UFC champion has been dropped from the list of possible opponents for Pacquiao’s next fight following his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor had said talks were intensifying for a fight with Pacquiao prior to his Jan. 23 loss, but McGregor’s next move now is likely to be a rematch and a trilogy fight with Poirier.

McGregor is a good matchup for Pacquiao, but it won’t be next. Pacquiao must hope there is still interest in the bout, and time for it to happen, in the future. Management company Paradigm Sports has McGregor and Pacquiao on its roster, so don’t rule out that fight just yet.

Other possible Pacquiao matchups: Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Keith Thurman.