Manny Pacquiao fought to a draw against Mario Barrios, but insists he will continue in boxing for a little while longer.
Manny Pacquiao has still not won a fight in six years as his latest comeback attempt ended in a draw, while the one before ended in a loss.
Many believe Pacquiao did enough to secure the victory against Mario Barrios, though the 46-year-old Filipino was forced to walk away with the third draw of his career.
Now, it seems Pacquiao will likely get another world title shot, against an opponent that his sparring partner believes will stand no chance.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesManny Pacquiao’s sparring partner expects him to flatten Rolly Romero
With Rolly Romero elevated to world champion following Jaron Ennis vacating his belts and moving up in weight, Pacquiao now has a new target in his quest for a 13th world title.
Romero is coming off a solid points win over Ryan Garcia, and has lost only to Isaac Cruz and Gervonta Davis.
Jeff Mayweather believes Pacquiao should face Romero, as it is his best chance of getting a belt. Meanwhile, Tim Bradley thinks Pacquiao could even beat Tank.
ESNEWS caught up with Pacquiao’s longtime sparring partner, Rashad Holloway, who spoke on the fight,
“I think Rolly is a very awkward fighter. He’s not a thinker, a good counter-puncher, a sharp boxer, that’s kind of what gives Manny trouble. I think Manny bulldozes Rolly, he’s just got to watch out for the left hook.”
Holloway is a 12-2-2 fighter who retired in 2011, but continued to spar Pacquiao for years since then.
Manny Pacquiao vs Rolly Romero – The stats
With the fight being spoken about more and more, and Pacquiao insisting that his time in boxing is not yet over, it’s becoming more and more likely that we see Pacquiao vs Romero.
Whilst Romero has youth on his side, and a big win over Ryan Garcia, he has shown his vulnerabilities, having been beaten in every other major step-up he’s had. Garcia has also called out Pacquiao.
Even Romero’s world title win against Ismael Barroso was extremely questionable as the referee called a stoppage for no apparent reason after a flurry of missed shots from Romero.
Pacquiao, though, is evading Father Time, and sooner or later his age will catch up to him.
If the fight does happen, it surely must happen this year, as Pacquiao is not getting any younger.
As a result, it is worth comparing the two fighters to see how much of a chance each has.
Manny PacquiaoRolly RomeroRecord62-8-317-2Age4629Best winsOscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel MarquezRyan GarciaHeight5’5.5″5’8″Career length30 years9 yearsKO%53%68%