One side has said yes. Now we wait on the other !
Eddie Hearn says Wales' Joe Cordina has agreed terms — purse and all — to face the great Manny Pacquiao on the Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua card at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11.
"We've agreed terms to fight Manny Pacquiao, but we don't know if that's happening," Hearn said on Thursday. "From our side, we've agreed to do it."
So now the ball is in Manny's court.
Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) is a former eight-division world champion and a Hall of Famer. He is 47, and the fight would land one week before his 48th birthday.
He hasn't boxed since July 2025, when he came back from four years away and took then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw. The Mayweather rematch was meant for September. It never happened.
Cordina (19-1, 9 KOs) is a former two-time IBF super featherweight champion, born in Cardiff. His only loss came by eighth-round KO to Anthony Cacace in 2024.
And this has been a long year for the Welshman.
He was meant to face Abdullah Mason for the WBO lightweight title in July, but was refused a US visa over an assault charge. On Tuesday a Cardiff court found him not guilty.
Two days later, his promoter says the Pacquiao deal is done on his side. Talk about a turnaround !
But there's a catch.
The fight would be at welterweight. Cordina won his world titles at 130 lb and has been boxing at lightweight. That's a big jump up to 147 against a man whose last fight was for the WBC welterweight title.
On paper, the weight class and the experience sit with Manny. Youth sits with Cordina — 13 years of it.
And there's a little history here. It would be Pacquiao's first fight in the UK, and his first against a British opponent since he beat Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009.
The Cardiff card sold out in an hour. With Fury v Joshua on top, Pacquiao lined up for the chief support, and Jai Opetaia v Deontay Wilder still in talks, it's shaping up as a big night for Asia-Pacific fans too.
Will the Pacman sign ?
🇵🇭 MANNY PACQUIAO (62-8-3) v JOE CORDINA (19-1) 🏴
🥊 Welterweight — terms agreed by Cordina, not yet confirmed
📍 Principality Stadium, Cardiff
📅 December 11, 2026, Fury v Joshua card
📺 Netflix
Stay tuned !
