Manny Pacquiao exhibition set to be delayed to new date after Floyd Mayweather rematch announcement

Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Ruslan Provodnikov could be moved to June, three months before he faces Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao was set to take on Russian veteran Provodnikov in Las Vegas on April 18.

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But it was announced shortly afterwards that he would take on famous rival Mayweather in a huge rematch on Netflix in September.

It had a chain reaction on the pair’s previous plans with Mayweather’s exhibition with Mike Tyson planned in April now in doubt.

He will instead face Greek kickboxing legend Mike Zambidis in June.

And boxing journalist Steve Kim has suggested that organisers are now expected to move Pacquiao’s clash to the same month.

The event was officially announced, but the delay would give Pacquiao further time to prepare.

It will also mean his fighting timeline will line up with that of Mayweather to give him the best possible chance of blowing away any ring rust.

Provodnikov has campaigned to face Pacquiao for several years, including when the pair were fighting closer to the peak of their powers.

But the ‘Siberian Rocky’ will hope to finally get his chance and not be denied with the details yet to be officially changed.

Pacquiao’s rematch with Mayweather – how it happened

Despite the looming possibility of a bout with Pacquiao, attention will be primarily focused on Mayweather.

He narrowly missed out on becoming a world champion in his shock comeback last year against Mario Barrios.

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But his dream of managing to lure the American back into the ring, will come as a great consolation with the pair set for a lucrative payday similar to their original 2015 clash.

The blockbuster event at Las Vegas’ Sphere will also see the undefeated legend risk his perfect 50-0 professional record.

Pacquiao, who lost to Mayweather in their maiden encounter, is gunning for revenge.

And he insisted that the bout should count on their sensational resumes despite Mayweather’s request.

He said: “It just happened that I’m still active in boxing and he came out of retirement to do it again, so this is it,” Pacquiao told SportsCenter.

“I learnt a lot from that fight way back in 2015. I think we became mature in how to handle (the pressure), and I hope it doesn’t happen again like it did in 2015.

Boxing schedule

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“I’m hoping for this time around, no more excuses, especially to my condition and also for everything.

“Before, he wanted an exhibition fight against me, but I disagreed, and I didn’t want to fight with exhibition (rules).

“I want to fight a real fight, so this is it, this is what I’ve been waiting for.”