Manny Pacquiao Reveals He Wants to Fight Again in 2018 After Lucas Matthysse Win

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Manny Pacquiao has revealed his plan to fight again in 2018 after he stopped Lucas Matthysse in the seventh round on Sunday.

That's per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, but he would not be drawn into discussing potential opponents:

Lance Pugmire @latimespugmire

Pacquiao said he's planning to fight again this year.

Lance Pugmire @latimespugmire

Pacquiao says he and team "did a good job, we controlled ourselves, in heavy training" ... says next opponent is "another story, another discussion."

The win was Pacquiao's first knockout victory since 2009, when he ended his fight with Miguel Cotto in the 12th round.

As a result of his success in Kuala Lumpur, the 39-year-old picked up the WBA (regular) welterweight title, and he is eager to defend the belt, per GMA News' Mav Gonzales:

Mav Gonzales @mavgonzales

Pacquiao: My next opponent, my next fight, I want to defend my title, my belt. Give a good show.

ESPN shared some highlights from the bout, in which a knockout in Pac-Man's favour had been coming after he sent the Argentinian to the mat in two earlier rounds:

ESPN @espn

A TKO victory in his return to the ring. Manny Pacquiao knocked Lucas Matthysse down 3 times Saturday on his way to a welterweight world title. https://t.co/C1unZxzRW2

After losing to Jeff Horn in his last outing—albeit in controversial circumstances—four of the Filipino's seven career defeats had come in his previous nine fights.

There was a gap of more than a year between that bout and this one, too.

Given his age, it seemed Pacquiao might finally hang up his gloves, particularly if he had struggled against Matthysse, but it was a commanding performance from the veteran.

As Ring Magazine's Ryan Songalia noted, Pac-Man rolled back the years with his impressive showing:

Ryan Songalia @ryansongalia

I don’t say this lightly: this looks like the young @MannyPacquiao, doubling his jab and firing that left hand looking for a knockout.

Ryan Songalia @ryansongalia

Matthysse is hurt just about every single time he gets hit by Pacquiao.

The win was, remarkably, the 60th of Pacquiao's storied career, and it showed there's still life in him yet as a professional boxer.

As such, it will hardly be surprising if he does step into the ring for a second time in 2018. Should he win that, it could pave the way for further bouts next year and beyond.

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