UAE sports officials have said they are open to talks regarding the prospect of staging Manny Pacquiao’s last fight here in Dubai.
The Filipino boxer arrived at Dubai Airport on Monday night ahead of this weekend’s Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games at Al Wasl Club, where he will play for his club side Mahindra Enforcers. But behind this week-long visit lurks the burning question as to the location of his last fight.
Pacman is out injured until March, having damaged his shoulder in his defeat to Floyd Mayweather Junior in May of this year but he is expected to have one last fight in April 2016 before retiring ahead of the Philippine general election in May where he is standing for senator.
Asked if his last fight - a potential rematch with Mayweather - could be staged in the emirate, Dubai Sports Council general secretary Saeed Hareb said: “Definitely, we are looking for that, nothing’s official but if he wants to, definitely we will sit and discuss it.”
Rashid Al Kamali, the manager of sports events at Dubai Sports Council, was also at the airport with Saeed Hareb to welcome Pacquiao, and added: “Dubai is the best place to have the fight due to the large Filipino expatriate population and his popularity here. Arab fans love him as well so that’s another bonus, so why not Dubai?
“I think the chances [of staging the fight in Dubai] are there, he’s very keen in having his fight in Dubai, but again it’s a very commercial aspect, all the areas have to be balanced and all partners have to agree on his presence in Dubai, otherwise it’s Las Vegas.”
When asked at the airport if he’d like to stage his last fight in the emirate, Pacquiao said: “Of course, I’d love to have a fight here in Dubai.”
And regarding the identity of his last opponent, he added: “We are working on that. I don’t know who yet, but I’m open to a rematch with Floyd, it depends on negotiations.
“I’ll fight anybody though, there’s Amir Khan, the rematch with Floyd, but also [Danny] Garcia and [Terrence] Crawford.”
