MANILA – Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao is not closing doors on a possible rematch with World Boxing Association’s (WBA) welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas of Cuba by January next year.
Despite mulling retirement, the eight-division world boxing champion told The Athletic on Thursday that he could still make a comeback.
“Yes, I can come back in January. I will see about it,” Pacquiao said. “I know I can rematch him if I want. I’ll just need to tell (promoter) Al Haymon. That would be no problem.”
The 42-year-old Pacquiao lost via unanimous decision to Ugas on Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and failed to reclaim the WBA welterweight title.
Pacquiao admitted that his one-sided loss to the underdog Ugas, whom the Filipino boxer regarded as “one of his easiest opponents,” has perplexed him.
“(Ugás) only had one style, and I should’ve been able to easily move away – you’ve seen how I have moved in my fights before. I couldn’t move in this fight. My legs just stopped,” he added.
Following the fight, the 35-year-old Cuban slugger stated that he is open to a rematch with Pacquiao, who delivered him his biggest professional boxing fight.
“Two hundred percent he deserves a rematch. Manny’s a great legend, a great fighter,” Ugas said. “Manny might be in his 40s, but he gave me a very good fight.”
“I’ve been living under Manny’s shadow for almost a year,” he added. “But like I said we’d find that out in the ring and decide who the champion is. And we found that out in the ring.”
Ugas came in as a late replacement for Errol Spence Jr., who had suffered an eye injury before the fight./PN
