Might we see Manny Pacquiao Vs. Terence Crawford next? As per a report from The Daily Tribune in the Philippines, Pac Man has already laid down terms as far as the finances are concerned. 42-year-old Pacquiao, who put out a tweet a few days ago informing us he is back in training and looking forward to his next fight, one that will add yet more to his legacy, has reportedly asked Bob Arum for a whopping, great $40 million to fight the reigning WBO welterweight champ.
“I’d like to fight somebody who has a title,” Pac Man said to the publication. “We told Bob [Arum] I get $40 million and Crawford gets $10 million. I will fight anybody. You know me, I don’t back away from any challenge. Bring ’em on.”
But will Arum back away from the idea of paying Manny so much dough? $40 million is an enormous sum of money, even for a living legend and an all-time great. $50 million in total makes the fight even more of a tall order. The word is this fight could take place in Dubai on May 15 if it does come off, and maybe the powers that be, the money men over there would be agreeable to paying that kind of big, big money.
And of course, a Pacquiao-Crawford fight would be a P-P-V event, one we would not mind paying to see. But money aside, would Pacquiao, inactive since July of 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman, have a genuine shot at beating Crawford? Crawford has expressed great interest in taking this fight (and “Bud” would likely see no problem being paid $10 million), while Manny is also interested in fighting Errol Spence.
May 15 is not too far away, so things would have to be tied up pretty quickly. Crawford, the article says, is Manny’s first choice of next opponent. It would be truly stunning if Pacquiao was able to defeat the pound-for-pound best in the world today (according to many experts), but Manny says he “feels great” and is ready for yet another challenge in his incredible ring career.
Let’s see if Manny’s cash demands can be met.