Pacquiao issues statement on Haymon signing

Although it had already been reported that Manny Pacquiao signed a deal with powerful manager Al Haymon, the future Hall of Famer has now officially made an announcement about the signing. Pacquiao says that he’s excited to finish off his career with Haymon as well as promote the young talent he has under his MP Promotions banner, which will be showcased on Premier Boxing Champions.

Via WBN:

“I’m very excited about this new chapter in my career and I’m looking forward to a fresh start. I’m reinvigorated by the prospects of bringing up new fighters under the MP Promotions banner,” said Pacquiao. “My team will work closely with Al Haymon for the remainder of my career to deliver the most anticipated fights with the top PBC fighters. Those are the fights the fans want to see and the ones I want to have to close out my career.”

Joe Ramos, who leads MP Promotions, also issued this statement:

“MP Promotions is very excited about this last phase of Senator Manny’s Hall of Fame Career. We look forward to launching this new relationship with Manny’s first world title defense,” said Joe Ramos, who heads MP Promotions. “I would also like to acknowledge matchmaker Sean Gibbons, legal counsel Tom Falgui, and Senator Manny’s aide Steve Jumalon for their tireless efforts and invaluable advice.”

ESPN astutely points out that Pacquiao’s longtime advisor Michael Koncz was nowhere to be found in any of the announcements, and that Pacquiao has parted ways with Koncz for this final stretch of his career. Between Pacquiao leaving Top Rank, trainer Freddie Roach, and advisor Michael Koncz, the only one left from the good ol’ gang is childhood friend Buboy Fernandez.

With Pacquiao now aligned with Haymon’s stable, he’s been linked to a January fight with Adrien Broner. Pacquiao estimates that their deal to square-off is about 90% complete. And with a win over Broner, Pacquiao would seemingly like to target a rematch against Floyd Mayweather, to whom he lost a decision back in 2015.