Manny Pacquiao ended a four-year retirement, only to have to settle for a draw against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios Jnr last July.
His time between ring appearances will be considerably shorter, by comparison. This time, though, he will go the exhibition route versus his former Wild Card Boxing Club stablemate Ruslan Provodnikov.
The bout, announced by Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions, is due to be staged on April 18 at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center. Tickets are on sale now at IndistryMedia.com, and an undercard of “world championship boxing” will accompany the event, according to Tuesday’s news release.
“I carry the Philippines with me every time I fight,” Pacquiao said in the statement. “The support from my country and from fans around the world continues to inspire me. Returning to Las Vegas means so much to me, and I’m excited to work with a team focused on creating a world-class experience for the fans. I’m coming back to give them a great fight — and I’m ready.”
Now 47, record eight-division champion and 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Pacquiao 62-8-3 (39KOs) has also been linked to a rematch later this year against Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
His advisor, Sean Gibbons, withdrew interest in a rematch with Barrios, who will defend his belt Saturday in Las Vegas against Ryan Garcia, and an effort to negotiate with WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero didn’t materialize in an agreement.
Gibbons said Tuesday the effort to have Pacquiao return in a professional boxing match by the summer remains.
Provodnikov 25-5 (18KOs) has been out of the ring since a 2016 loss to John Molina.
Now 42, the “Russian Rocky,” who lost a 2013 fight-of-the-year welterweight title fight versus Timothy Bradley Jnr, elevated to WBO 140lbs champion later that year by defeating Mike Alvarado before losing the belt to ProBoxTV’s Chris Algieri in 2014.
“Manny and Ruslan should have faced each other earlier in their careers, and it’s a shame it didn’t happen sooner, but at least we are getting it now,” Pelullo said in the news release.
“Both Manny and Ruslan are among the most exciting, fan-friendly and TV friendly fighters of their generation. Manny and Ruslan never back down and never give an inch. Manny showed in his last fight with Barrios that, despite his age, he is still a world-class fighter. Personally, I thought he won the fight and should be the WBC Welterweight world champion.
“As far as Ruslan is concerned, [he] has always wanted to get either Pacquiao or Mayweather in the ring and now the opportunity is here. I am confident that Ruslan will steal the show and rise to the occasion.”
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
