As Manny Pacquiao returns to the boxing ring on July 19th to fight Mario Barrios, a victory will lead many to ask who will be next.
It is almost an expectation that ‘PacMan’ wins on Saturday, as boxing legend Bernard Hopkins shared the opinion that Barrios is a ‘B-plus’ fighter.
Even former Manny rival, Juan Manuel Marquez, is backing Pacquiao to become champion on Saturday night.
The Filipino has recently said in interviews he is looking to have ‘two to three’ more fights before he calls time on his career.
Why Manny Pacquiao should pursue former lightweight king Devin Haney if he beats Mario Barrios
So if he can use the speed and power that has made him the star he is today to become WBC welterweight champion, he should immediately set up a Devin Haney mega fight.
Yes, the former undisputed lightweight champion, who is now in the 147 division, is the fight to make.
This generational clash would send Haney into the boxing stratosphere and add another name to his impressive resume, which includes fan favourite icon Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Now, one spanner in the works for a potential clash is the big punching problem of the ‘Dreams’ next opponent, WBO champion Brian Norman Jr, on November 16th.
Norman Jr has impressed recently with a highlight reel knockout of the year contender against Jin Sasaki.
However, the ‘Assassin’s’ skills don’t match the 26-year-old American, and his experience will easily take him to that WBO title win.
Which is just another reason for the ‘Pac’ to take that fight after, as it is a chance at unifying the welterweight titles at the age of 46 in the twilight of his career, against a soon-to-be American star, what more could you want?
Find an iconic venue like Madison Square Garden; it would be a hot ticket for boxing and even casual fans – if possible, even a small stadium could do the trick.
It would be too good an opportunity for a big-money fight for either man at this stage in their respective careers to pass up.
Devin Haney would ‘love’ to make Manny Pacquiao super fight
As the days draw closer to the return of this iconic fighter, Haney has already been asked if he’d face off with the former welterweight champion.
Speaking in an interview, he said: “I would love to make a super fight with him if he was to win because he is an f—ing legend, but that’s what it is.”
The Californian is now 32 fights deep into his professional career, but has drawn criticism from corners of the boxing world for his recent performances.
Of course, a loss turned no contest against Ryan Garcia showed some vulnerabilities, but is discounted because of the PED fiasco.
While a unanimous decision win against Jose Ramirez was panned due to a lack of action, so much so that Manny sent a video message to Haney about it.
It is what makes his fight against the 24-year-old champion so intriguing as to whether a come-forward fighter can draw more activity from a man labelled a ‘track star’ by Conor Benn recently.
But a win could draw the eye of Pacquiao and would be a perfect name to hopefully make him a star worldwide.