If Manny Pacquiao is to fight on the December 11 bill topped by Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, he will not be short of possible opponents.
Already promoter Eddie Hearn has said Welshman Joe Cordina has volunteered his services, and another fighter, Paddy Donovan, is offering to take on the Filipino icon.
Donovan is the No. 1-ranked welterweight with the IBF and is coming off a cuts victory over fellow Irishman Tyrone McKenna at Croke Park in September.
Now Donovan is hoping to appear in back-to-back stadium fights with an appearance on the Cardiff show at the Principality Stadium in Wales.
Donovan is due to face champion Liam Paro, though the Australian is also seemingly being courted by Devin Haney and is allowed a voluntary defence before giving Donovan his shot.
“We see Manny Pacquiao is looking for an active opponent. My manager, Keith O’Sullivan, has reached out to his team. They’ve been in talks about making the fight happen,” said Donovan.
“Look, it’s a long shot, it’d be great. Manny Pacquiao is a phenomenal fighter, is a legend of the sport, and it’d be a dream come true to fight Manny. And I think, yeah, what a great fight it would be.”
The 47-year-old Hall of Famer last boxed when he held then-WBC 147lbs champion Mario Barrios to a draw in a fight many felt the veteran won.
“I think it’d be a tremendous fight between the two of us, but more importantly, he’d be a big win on my record,” Donovan added. “So, hopefully, we hear back soon from Manny’s team, and maybe we can get that across the line before we move on to the world title fight, which I think is going to come around mid-next year, early to mid-next year. So if Manny is down for a fight, let’s do it.”
Cordina has home-field advantage in the race to fight Manny, however, although Donovan has a sturdy case.
“I think an Irishman, Paddy Donovan, on the verge of fighting for the world title, Manny Pacquiao probably needing a win to get back in the mix with the world champions… I think it sounds a great fight,” Donovan added. “Look, as I said, it’s every fighter’s dream to fight Manny Pacquiao, and we all dream about that day happening.
“So, whatever he decides, I just want to let him know that I’m free and I’m available, and I’d give him a good fight.”
Donovan is, of course, a Pacquiao fan, and enjoyed the Filipino marvel’s victories against the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez (whom he went a disputed 2-1-1 against), Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya.
“He’s still a great fighter. He’s still very, very active, and he’s a living legend,” Donovan continued.
“He knows how to get the wins. He knows how to perform, and he knows how to handle the pressure. He’s been around, and he has so much experience. So, I think if my manager, Keith O’Sullivan, and [trainer] Andy [Lee] and Manny’s team make that fight happen, I think it’ll be a great fight between me and Manny. I think styles, at this stage of his career, would be a good matchup. But, as I said, most importantly, he would be a big win on my record. So, we’ll see. It would be a dream come true to fight an icon like Manny Pacquiao.”
(Picture courtesy of Matchoom Boxing)
Boxing notes and whispers
