Manny Pacquiao next fight, opponent: Mikey Garcia boosts his chance of facing WBA champ after winning vs. Jessie Vargas

Manny Pacquiao’s team has narrowed down his next fight’s schedule sometime in July. They have yet to finalize the name of his next opponent, but Mikey Garcia has been one of the names consistently mentioned in months-long rumors.

Manny Pacquiao next opponent: Does Mikey Garcia’s latest win guarantee him a fight with the Filipino champ?

Pacquiao has yet to commit to anything when it comes to who he is going to fight next. However, there is no denying that Garcia’s latest win against Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29.

Many fans and sports analysts believe that it was crucial for Garcia to win the Vargas match, especially after losing the IBF World title to Errol Spence Jr. last year. While Garcia has accomplished that, there are still several possibilities for Pacquiao’s next fight.

In a recent interview with a Philippine TV network, the 41-year-old boxer dropped several names – other than Garcia – who are being considered for his July fight. “There are a lot of possible opponents,” Pacquiao said (via RingTV). “Either Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence, or (Terence) Crawford.”

Like Garcia, the names of Spence and Crawford have also been mentioned many times in earlier boxing speculations. It should be noted, though, that a fight with either Spence and Crawford could be much more interesting since both could be title unification matches as Pacquiao is reigning WBC (Super) World welterweight champion.

Spence currently holds the World titles of the WBC and IBF welterweight divisions while Crawford has the WBO equivalent. At this point in Pacquiao’s career, it would not be surprising if he would eventually choose a fight that would give him more titles. But there is no way to definitely determine which direction Pacquiao is going to take and fans are left with the choice to wait for the official announcement.

Manny Pacquiao’s camp confirms return to the ring in July, official announcements slated in March?

Pacquiao’s team has reiterated his return to the ring in July several times in various press events. This means that they are unlikely to change that with so much publicity thrown into it.

The Filipino boxer has also expressed the likelihood of having his first fight in the Middle East, specifically in Saudi Arabia, this year. However, this one still needs confirmation, as well as negotiations for the venue, are still needed other than the talks for his next opponent. Meanwhile, boxing reporter Peter Kahn suggests that an official announcement could be made sometime this month.