By: Sean Crose
Manny Pacquiao’s mentor Sean Gibbons is clearly fueling the fight between the retired legend and British welterweight Conor Benn. Gibbons even went so far as to post a poster simulating a Pacquiao-Gibbons match on Twitter. Benn responded to the poster by tweeting “Anytime,” so Gibbons referred to Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn. “Waiting for Eddie Hearn!” The ape answered. “Senator is ready to Rumble!!” Pacquiao recently took part in a performance match and has given signs that he’s interested in returning to the ring. Now in his late forties, the Filipino icon seems to feel he is capable of taking on another round of (no pun intended) matches.
As for Benn, the English player is at the center of a storm of controversy. After testing positive for a banned substance before a scheduled match with Chris Eubank Jr., the 21-0 boxer later found the WBC rule in his favor, arguing that consuming more eggs could be a problem. error. Since then, Benn has argued that he believes there are no banned substances in his system.
Pacquiao, of course, needs no introduction. Considered at least one of the greatest boxers of his generation, Pacquiao 62-8-2 has indeed fought with his peers, often the winners. His final match saw him lose to the taller, younger Yordenis Ugas. After that, the man announced his retirement. Now, less than two years later, it looks like Pacquiao could be involved in a professional boxing fight again. He won’t be the first great to return to the ring after retirement, and he probably won’t be the last.
Usually, things don’t end well for these returning boxers – although George Foreman has certainly proven that age is nothing but a number. Could the same be true of Pacquiao? The odds aren’t high, but no one can say, unless, of course, the boxer known as “PacMan” decides to get back between the ropes of the pro ring once again.
“It’s been a discussion that’s been going on for a while with Sean Gibbons,” said Frank Smith of Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing (via brand). “It was a big fight to make. All this time, we’ve had to wait because of Conor’s circumstances that we couldn’t move forward, but now we can pick it up and move forward. It was a great fight in every way.”
