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• Manny Pacquiao (right) during his title challenge against Mario Barrios Manny Pacquiao may miss out on a dream world title shot following a major update from the WBA.
The 46-year-old Filipino icon announced last week that he will be returning to the ring to fight in Las Vegas on January 24. He is expected to confirm his opponent soon, with WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero previously seen as the frontrunner.
However, the WBA has now ordered Romero to defend his title against mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov. Both camps have been given a 30-day negotiation window, which ends on November 13.
Giyasov, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is undefeated in 17 professional bouts.
If Romero proceeds with the Giyasov fight, it could delay—or even completely derail—a potential clash with Pacquiao. Alternatively, Romero could still choose to face Pacquiao but would risk being stripped of his title.
A third option would be for Romero to negotiate a step-aside deal with Giyasov, allowing him to fight Pacquiao first on the condition that the winner faces the Uzbek contender afterward.
Pacquiao has also been linked with possible bouts against Gervonta Davis and Conor Benn, but both fighters already have upcoming commitments. Davis is scheduled to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in an exhibition bout on November 14, while Benn will meet Chris Eubank Jr in a highly anticipated rematch the next night.
Pacquiao may now have to wait to see how the situations involving Romero, Davis and Benn unfold before choosing his next opponent.
The boxing legend made a remarkable return in July after a four-year layoff, holding WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a draw. Pacquiao already holds the record as the oldest world champion at 147 pounds, having defeated Keith Thurman at age 40 in 2019.
He came close to making history again against Barrios and still believes he has a chance at another title if he faces Romero, who shocked Ryan Garcia in May.
Pacquiao turns 47 in December and remains active, but now faces a tense wait to find out whether his next fight will be a world-title showdown or not. —Independent
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