Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom in talks to sign eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao after the 39-year-old left long-term promoter Bob Arum.
Pacquiao announced in July that he would become a free agent and Hearn, who steers the career of unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and numerous others, has moved to negotiate with the Filipino superstar.
Hearn would like to secure Pacquiao for his planned multi-year content deal with streaming service DAZN, which launches next month in the United States.
And while Hearn has not committed to a deal, with the money involved and the suitability of the fights for the DAZN platform in the United States a concern, he acknowledges the temptation.
Hearn has several names under his banner which could be potential opponents for Pacquiao - like former world champion Amir Khan, who was scheduled to face Pacquiao in April 2017 - but their deal fell apart when the investors were unable to to provide proof of funds.
One of the sticking points in reaching a deal with Pacquiao, is the boxer's desire to fight overseas.
“I think Manny Pacquiao is a huge name,” he told Sporting News. “He’s undoubtedly towards the end of his career, but still a huge name. We’re talking with him.
“He wants an awful lot of money as you would expect Manny Pacquiao to want and the right fights have to be there. I think one of his main interests is to fight outside of the U.S. That doesn’t fit as well for us, away from DAZN.
"But there are fights – Amir Khan, Jessie Vargas, Kell Brook – that we could certainly put on. We’re talking with Manny Pacquiao. Whether it goes anywhere, we’ll see. But we’re certainly interested to continue those talks."
Pacquiao has a 60-7-2 record, but his last bout – a seventh-round knockout win over Lucas Matthysse in July – was his first in over a year, and his first stoppage win since 2009.
2023-10-21 14:44:38
