Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao is now targeting his next opponent after making a sensational comeback to the sport.

The 46-year-old eight division world champion returned to the ring last month when he locked horns with reigning WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 19.

Pacquiao put on an impressive display against Barrios on the night but could not quite do enough to walk away victorious, as the fight was declared a majority decision draw, with two out of the three ringside judges scoring it 114-114 even and the other giving Barrios the nod.

‘PacMan’ has already confirmed that he intends to continue with his professional career, with reports suggesting that he could make his next ring appearance during the early stages of 2026.

Speaking to gamblingonline.net, Pacquiao’s manager Sean Gibbons revealed that Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero the front-runner to face the Filipino superstar next, due to Barrios lacking pulling power and Ryan Garcia being ‘complicated’ to deal with.

“All of the stories are out there and Rolly Romero is one of the frontrunners because Manny wants meaningful fights. He wants to break his own records and make history, just like when he won the world title at 40 years old.

“Both Manny and Rolly are with PBC. We’ll make some decisions and evaluate what’s ahead for the rest of 2025 and into 2026. A fight with Ryan Garcia has been discussed but he’s a complicated guy to deal with. It’s not out of the question, but it’s difficult.

“Mario Barrios is a great guy, but unfortunately, he doesn’t sell. He’s not exciting and doesn’t bring the kind of energy Rolly Romero brings. Rolly brings chaos, unpredictability.”

Romero made his most recent ring appearance back in May when he defeated Ryan Garcia via unanimous decision in what has been regarded as the most impressive performance of his career to date.

The 29-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada was recently elevated to full WBA Welterweight World Champion after former title holder Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis announced that he has made the move up to super-welterweight.

Should a showdown between Pacquiao and Romero come to fruition, the Filipino great will have his sights set on writing his name into the boxing history books as he looks to become the oldest world welterweight champion of all time – a record he already holds.