FILE – Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines enters the ring for his fight against Yordenis Ugas of Cuba during the WBA Welterweight Championship boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 21, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines—It seems like Manny Pacquiao isn’t planning to stay retired for long.
Ahead of his charity match in Seoul, South Korea, the 43-year-old Pacquiao called out undefeated welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence.
“Of course, I can fight Crawford,” Pacquiao, who dominated South Korean YouTuber and martial artist DK Yoo in a six-round exhibition on Sunday, told FightHype.com. “I can fight Terence Crawford or Spence.”
“I’m eager to fight with them because, to test them [to see] if they’re really a champion,” he added. “I’ve been fighting a lot of boxers at 147, 140, 135, I’ve been fighting with one of the greatest boxers in the world, so I want to test them in a fight.”
Pacquiao was slated for a showdown with Spence in August of last year but the two-belt champion was forced to pull out of the bout due to an eye injury.
Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas replaced Spence and went on to shock Pacquiao by unanimous decision. Pacquiao retired a month after the loss to pursue his bid in the Philippine presidential elections where he finished a distant third.
Before his retirement, Pacquiao was also pitted against Crawford for a potential megafight when the two explosive fighters were still under Top Rank.
Crawford knocked out Russia’s David Avanesyan in the sixth round to defend his WBO belt on Sunday at CHI Health Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
Pacquiao said he’s kept himself active despite his time away from the ring.
“I’m still here. Even though I’m retired for more than a year, I keep on working, playing basketball, work out, almost everyday,” he said.