Manny Pacquiao 2020 fight: Eddie Hearn reportedly leads efforts to find a venue in Saudi Arabia for Pac-Man’s July match

The basic details about Manny Pacquiao’s next fight have practically been confirmed at this point despite the lack of a formal announcement. The welterweight champion has mentioned himself about the July timeline for his return to the ring.

Another seemingly confirmed detail is the location of his next match. For the first time in his career, Pacquiao is most likely to have a major boxing event in Saudi Arabia.

Manny Pacquiao next fight venue most likely set in Saudi Arabia

Pacquiao’s camp has mentioned on multiple occasions about their plans for conducting his next fight in the country. But no official details have been announced yet, and the specific venue appears to still be under negotiation with promoter Eddie Hearn claiming most efforts to make it happen.

Hearn previously mentioned having a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Skill Challenge Entertainment. “They want us to deliver a huge show at the end of June/early July. I think Manny Pacquiao is a guy they would probably love to bring to the Kingdom,” Hearn said. The English promoter led the efforts in bringing the heavyweight match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. to Saudi Arabia last December.

As early as January, some sports analysts already saw the possibility for Pacquiao’s next match to happen outside the United States. This suggestion was rooted in the fact that the early months of 2020 quickly became a busy period for professional boxing in the U.S. Fighters who have yet to finalize details for their next match, Pacquiao included, would purportedly have to find a venue outside America.

Manny Pacquiao favors Errol Spence Jr. or Mikey Garcia for next match

On the bright side, the words came out of Pacquiao that he intends to fight within the second or third week of July. In an interview with the Philippines-based network ANC, he also named his top two picks for his next opponent: Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia.

Meanwhile, it is also important to note that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic might force some changes to these plans. Depending on how the public health situation goes in the coming months, Pacquiao may or may not fulfill his wishes to fight in July.