A reigning world welterweight champion is targeting a showdown with Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao made a sensational return to the ring this past weekend when he faced reigning WBC beltholder Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Despite the best efforts of the 46-year-old eight-division world champion, the fight itself was declared a majority draw with two out of the three judges at ringside scoring the contest 114-114 even and the other giving Barrio the nod.
Some in the sport were in disbelief at the result, with claims that ‘Pac-Man’ had done enough to dethrone Barrios and become the oldest world welterweight champion of all time, breaking the record that he had actually set himself back in 2019.
In the aftermath, a number of big names have revealed that they would be open to a showdown with Pacquiao, with reigning WBA Regular welterweight champion Rolando Romero the latest.
Speaking to Boxing Scene, ‘Rolly’ Romero welcomed a potential battle with Hall of Famer Pacquiao, as he claims facing the 46-year-old would ‘make sense’.
“A Hall of Famer on my resume, who wouldn’t want that? That’s the easiest way to get into the Hall of Fame, right. We can do it. Everything has to make sense. It’s going to be a fan favourite. That makes sense right there.”
Romero was last out on May 2, flooring Ryan Garcia in the second round of their bout at Times Square in New York City on his way to a points decision to capture the Regular version of the WBA world welterweight title. With current super champion Jaron Ennis set to vacate and move up in weight, he will be the WBA’s sole champion soon.
‘Rolly’ put on a career best performance against Garcia in what was his first appearance at 147lbs, having previously campaigning between the lightweight and super-lightweight limits. Pacquiao’s advisor, Sean Gibbons, has said he is open to discussing the fight.
