KUALA LUMPUR — With Manny Pacquiao staying relevant in the welterweight division with a devastating win over Lucas Matthysse, there will be many contenders and champions — both past and present — who’d likely want a crack at him.
Jeff Horn, the burly Australian who defeated Pacquiao last year, is first on the queue.
Horn posted on his Instagram account a photo of him and Pacquiao after their weigh-in last year, congratulating the Filipino icon for a job well done against Matthysse.
"Congratulations Manny Pacquiao," Horn wrote in the caption. "Rematch?"
Horn dethroned Pacquiao when the latter was still the WBO welterweight champion, and while Pacquiao had the right to demand a rematch, he and Horn did not fight again.
The two fighters went separate ways, with Horn defending the title he won from Pacquiao once before losing it to pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford via technical knockout last month.
Pacquiao, for his part, did not fight until one year after he lost to Horn. And he delivered against Matthysse.
Now, he is back in the welterweight picture and plans to hang around a little longer.
Pacquiao did not name his next preferred opponent but said he’ll definitely fight again.
“I don't know yet (next opponent), but right now I'm so happy. This my first time to win the WBA belt,” said Pacquiao, who has now won world titles from the four major sanctioning bodies, including the WBC, IBF and WBO.