Manny Pacquaio attends The 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant at Trump National Doral on January 25, 2015 in Doral, Florida. (Photo : Getty Images/Rodrigo Varela)
Coach Freddie Roach welcomed the idea of a Manny Pacquiao-Terence Crawford showdown at 140. His ward is currently in welterweight division or 147 pounds, but the Filipino boxer can slide back to junior welterweight or 140 pounds for the fight with the undefeated rising star.
"I like the fight at 140 but he hasn't fought at 140 in a long time," Roach told Boxing Scene referring to Pacquiao. "I think he will be a bit quicker and a bigger puncher but he's been at 147 for so long so we will see."
The last time Pacquiao fought in junior welterweight was in 2009, knocking Ricky Hatton to be the king of the weight class. However, he immediately left the division for bigger fights. Roach insisted that the boxing icon is best at 140 pounds and a Pacquiao vs. Crawford fight will be most appealing.
Crawford holds both WBO and WBC junior welterweight championships and is regarded as the best in the division. He impressed Roach who sees him to likely have a shot at Pacquiao if Floyd Mayweather Jr. decides to stay retired.
The 38-year-old boxing icon is expected to fight twice in 2017 but has not named an opponent yet other than his preferred opponent, Mayweather. The former only wants tough fights and the 29-year-old junior welterweight champ could be very competitive.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is spending the holidays in South Korea with his family. He arrived in the country on Dec. 23, Friday, for a Christmas vacation and charity event. He was also scheduled to meet South Korean singer and songwriter PSY at PSY All Night Stand 2016 concert. PSY sang the massive hit "Gangnam Style."
"I visited Korea together with family to watch the snow," The Korea Bizwire quoted Paquiao as saying during a press conference held at a Seoul hotel. "Korea is really cold."
The Filipino boxer and politician is said to be a big fan of PSY and was officially invited by the latter to the concert held at Gocheok Sky Dome. He and PSY reportedly have become friends since the Korean pop-singer visited Pacman's boxing fights.
Here is a clip of Pacquiao's fights:
