Manny Pacquiao and Lucas Matthysse pose during their weigh-in
Manny Pacquiao is back, and boxing’s only eight-division champion is out to prove there is still something left in the tank.
Pacquiao challenges Lucas Matthysse for the WBA “regular” welterweight title Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia. Coverage of the event begins at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Pacquiao, 39, has been away from the ring for just over a year.
Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) is 59-7-2 (38 KO); he is one of three boxers to win a share of the welterweight title on three occasions (Jack Britton, Emile Griffith) according to @CompuBox #PacMatthysse
The Main Card begins tonight at 9 ET on ESPN+
The last time Pacquiao fought was on July 2 of last year in Brisbane, Australia, as Jeff Horn, controversially, won via unanimous decision in 12 rounds to become the new WBO welterweight champion. Horn held the title until he lost to Terence Crawford last month via TKO in the ninth round, dropping the welterweight championship.
The result of the July 2017 bout caused such a firestorm throughout the sports world that it was later reviewed by the World Boxing Organization. Despite scrutiny, the original decision was upheld, much to the dismay of boxing enthusiasts around the world.
Matthyesse defeated Tewa Kiram via eighth-round knockout in January to win the vacant welterweight title, and is prepared to make his first official defense.
Live Odds:
Pacquiao, coming off hiatus, enters tonight as the -240 betting favorite, according to Oddsshark.com. Matthysse currently sits as the +205 underdog.
The main card also features two more title fights:
Jhack Tepora vs. Edivaldo Ortega, 12 rounds for vacant WBA interim featherweight title
Carlos Canizales vs. Bin Lu, 12 rounds for WBA “regular” junior flyweight title
Here is the rest of the undercard for Saturday:
Juan Miguel Elorde vs. Ratchanon Sawangsoda, six rounds, junior lightweight
Theena Thayalan vs. Siddharth Varma, six rounds, welterweights
Moruti Mthalane vs. Muhammad Waseem, 12 rounds, for vacant IBF flyweight title
To find out more about how to watch Pacquiao vs. Matthysse online or via live stream, click here.