Manny Pacquiao, 40-years-old, is still the most-sought man in boxing, as proven by the seemingly countless barrages of challenges he’s receiving from younger fighters day in and day out.
On Thursday, boxing trainer Glen Rushton called out Pacquiao once more for a rematch with his prizefighter Jeff Horn. Horn is the former WBO welterweight champion and one of seven people who defeated the Filipino champion.
Rushton spoke with FightHub TV in the heat of their preparation for Horn’s upcoming fight with Michael Zerafa at Bendigo Stadium on August 31.
Horn will be making his debut in the middleweight division after campaigning in the 147-pound class since the start of his pro career.
Pacquiao’s Waterloos
Rushton discussed quite a few topics during the interview, including the status of Horn roughly two weeks before fight night. Pacquiao is their target as the next opponent. He also talked about the only two fighters who can frustrate the reigning WBA title-holder in a fight.
The trainer said that Horn is doing well in training. He keeps focused despite a baby's arrival just recently. He also added that Pacquiao remains at the top of their wishlist of opponents for Horn, saying they need to settle some unfinished business in a rematch.
Horn and Pacquiao fought each other in 2017 with the Australian scoring a shocking unanimous decision win over the eight-division world champion.
Rushton feels the controversy surrounding the fight demands a grudge match between the two.
With Pacquiao taking down Keith Thurman on July 20, Ruston couldn’t help but praise the brilliance of the Filipino boxing icon. He also feels that no one can touch Pacquiao right now unless he fights Horn or pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford.
“I think there are possibly only two people on the planet Manny will struggle with: one is Jeff Horn, the other one’s Terence Crawford. Other than that, I think he got them all covered,” Rushton told FightHub.
No Rematch
Pacquiao’s chief adviser and MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons already stressed that they have no interest in fighting either Horn or Thurman because neither fights don’t make sense logically and financially.
As of the moment, Pacquiao looks set to face the winner of the Errol Spence vs. Shawn Porter welterweight unification fight on September 28, though chatter coming from Pacman camp are saying that only Porter, Danny Garcia, and Mikey Garcia are the fighters who have the inside track to booking a fight with the Filipino fighting champ.
Obviously, the big elephant in the room is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao has been begging for a second showdown with the undefeated American fighter for years now. Mayweather has dropped hints of a comeback from time to time but unless he officially announces his boxing return, a second Mayweather-Pacquiao rumble will remain nothing more than wishful thinking.
