Joe Cordina isn’t the only fighter chasing Manny Pacquiao.
Irish welterweight Paddy Donovan told Total Boxing With Tris Dixon that his team has been in talks with Pacquiao’s camp.
We see Manny Pacquiao is looking for an active opponent. My manager, Keith O’Sullivan, has reached out to his team. They’ve been in talks about making the fight happen.
Look, it’s a long shot, it’d be great. Manny Pacquiao is a phenomenal fighter, is a legend of the sport, and it’d be a dream come true to fight Manny. And I think, yeah, what a great fight it would be.
Pacquiao, 47, could return on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Eddie Hearn said this week that Cordina has agreed terms to face him there.
Pacquiao hasn’t fought since a majority draw with Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title in July 2025. His rematch with Floyd Mayweather is no longer happening this year, and Netflix is said to still owe him a fight.
Donovan, 27, stopped Tyrone McKenna in the fourth round in September. Four months earlier, he outpointed Karen Chukhadzhian to become the IBF welterweight mandatory challenger.
He lost to Lewis Crocker twice in 2025, first by a controversial disqualification and then by split decision for the vacant IBF title.
