Boxing legend confirms return, with plans beyond the ring
Eight-division world champion and 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Manny Pacquiao has confirmed he will return to Australia in 2026, hinting that opportunities for fans to meet him may be possible during his visit.
A social media announcement video released by Ginnen Group featured Pacquiao sharing a personal message to Australian fans. “I’m excited to announce I’m coming to Australia this year, 2026. Looking forward to seeing everyone down under. God is good all the time, thank you.”
It marks his first return to the country since the iconic “Battle of Brisbane” — his 2017 bout against Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium, which became one of the most-watched boxing telecasts on Australian television in over a decade.
One of the most decorated athletes in sporting history, Pacquiao holds the record as the only boxer to win world championships across eight weight divisions and four different decades. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2025, he remains the oldest welterweight world champion in history, a title he claimed at 40.
In one of sport’s most remarkable comeback stories, he ended a four-year retirement in 2025 to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, battling to a majority draw in front of a global audience. He has since confirmed a highly anticipated rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr., scheduled for 19 September.
But it is what comes after the Mayweather fight that has Pacquiao looking ahead to Australia.
Speaking in an exclusive media interview ahead of his October visit, Pacquiao confirmed he will be in Sydney and Melbourne to inspect potential sites for a new sports and business college aimed at developing young people from the ground up. “I’m so excited to head back and to meet my kababayan in Australia.”
For the millions of Filipinos across Australia, that excitement is mutual. When asked what fans can expect from him this year, Pacquiao shifted from a smile to a more serious tone. He said he is building MannyPay, a fintech e-wallet and digital payments platform, part of a broader commercial portfolio he has been assembling since leaving the ring. For a man who grew up in poverty in General Santos City, the breadth of that ambition is itself part of the story.
When Pacquiao arrives in Australia this October, he is expected to reconnect with a community that has backed him with unwavering pride for decades.
Further details about his Australian visit are expected to be announced.
For more information on his tour, visit mannypacquiaotour.com.
