BY NICK GIONGCO
Efforts to get a deal in place for an April fight by Manny Pacquiao are being undertaken.
American matchmaker Sean Gibbons, also head of Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, said that he is in talks with a group from the Middle East.
“Working hard to get a fight in April,” reported Gibbons from the US, noting that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are in play.
Though time is fast catching up, Gibbons is not losing hope that he can get things done.
If Pacquiao can’t fight in April, Gibbons said the earliest the Filipino star can return to the ring will be July.
“We’ll see by Jan. 20 if we can have a fight (in the Middle East) or not,” added Gibbons.
Last time Pacquiao fought, the eight-division world champion stunned the previously-unbeaten Keith Thurman in Las Vegas in July last year.
Before that, Pacquiao shocked another young lion in Adrien Broner six months earlier also in Sin City.
Pacquiao, who turned professional in 1995, celebrated his 41st birthday last December 17.
