Paulie Malignaggi Calls Out Pacquiao for Dodging a Fight

Manny Pacquiao has been accused of ducking a former two-weight world champion.

Paulie Malignaggi is the man making the claim.

He told Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show that Pacquiao is avoiding a fight with him at all costs.

“Pacquiao comes back and he’s looking to fight anybody but me right now,” Malignaggi said.

“This guy’s 100 years old. He’s looking to fight anybody but me. Now he’s fighting a guy 20 pounds smaller than him just so he can fight.”

Pacquiao is 47 years old.

He has not fought since July 2025.

That fight was a draw with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Before that, Pacquiao had been out of the ring since August 2021.

That is when he lost a WBA welterweight bout to Yordenis Ugás.

Pacquiao is a veteran of 73 professional fights.

He has eight losses on his record.

He is a former eight-weight world champion, a feat unmatched in boxing history.

Despite that legacy, Malignaggi says Pacquiao is dodging him.

“I put my name out there. I’ve been active. He doesn’t even mention my name,” Malignaggi said.

“He knows what I said about him, and he knows I’m right. They don’t want that spewed out in that promotion, so they don’t bring it up.”

Malignaggi is a former two-division world champion himself.

He won titles at super lightweight and welterweight.

He has been a commentator and analyst since retiring from full-time boxing.

He has also competed in bare-knuckle fighting.

Malignaggi is scheduled for a bare-knuckle fight against former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on December 5, 2026.

Pacquiao had been linked to several potential opponents throughout 2026.

One name was Shakur Stevenson.

Another was Paddy Donovan.

Another was Joe Cordina, a two-time IBF super-featherweight world champion.

Cordina was seen as the front-runner to face Pacquiao on the undercard of Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury in Cardiff in December 2026.

That undercard spot has now been confirmed as not happening.

Pacquiao will not appear on that card at all.

Other names floated for Pacquiao included Amir Khan and Danny Garcia, both retired fighters.

Now Conor Benn has entered the picture.

Benn told Sky Sports that he was offered a December fight with Pacquiao.

“The fight got presented to me for December and it was just too soon, making weight, got a newborn son, so for me it was really about spending time with my family,” Benn said.

Benn lost to Ryan Garcia in September 2026, a second-round stoppage in his first world title challenge.

He said he could not be ready for December.

But he believes talks can be restarted for a fight in the first quarter of 2027.

“If Q1, he wants to get it on again, I’m interested,” Benn said.

“Always in the gym, always working, if he wants it Q1 next year, we can do it, no problem.”

Pacquiao turns 48 in mid-December 2026.