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Manny Pacquiao Dream could miss a world title shot after a major update by the WBA.
The 46-year-old Filipino icon announced last week that he will return to the ring to fight on January 24 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao is expected to confirm his opponent soon, and WBA welterweight champion Rollie Romero was the frontrunner to face him.
However, the WBA has now ordered Romero to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov.
Romero and Giyasov’s teams have been given a 30-day negotiation period that will end on November 13.
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Giyasov won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and is unbeaten in 17 bouts as a professional.
Should Romero fight Giyasov, it would push back or potentially eliminate the proposed clash with Pacquiao altogether.
Alternatively, he could still choose to take on Pacquiao, but would be at risk of being stripped of his title.
A third option would be for Romero to try to agree a step-up deal with Giyasov, allowing him to box Pacquiao if the winner next faces the undefeated Uzbek star.
Pacquiao has also been linked to a fight gervonta davis And Connor BennBut the next bout of both the men is already fixed.
Davis will meet YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in an exhibition bout on November 14, before Benn faces Chris Eubank Jr. in a highly anticipated rematch the following night.
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Pacquiao will now have to wait to see how Romero, Davis and Benn’s respective situations play out before choosing his next opponent.
He made a remarkable comeback after a four-year layoff in July by stopping WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios to a draw.
Pacquiao already holds the record as the oldest world champion at 147 pounds after defeating Keith Thurman in 2019 at the age of 40.
He was looking to rewrite the history books against Barrios and now he can take on Romero, who stunned Ryan Garcia in their last fight in May.
Pacquiao will celebrate his 47th birthday in December and is still performing strong, but now he has a nervous wait to see if his next fight will be for a world title.
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