Manny Pacquiao, the legendary boxer who has held world titles in eight different weight classes, has been denied the opportunity to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Despite his retirement in 2021, Pacquiao, aged 45, had hoped to participate in the upcoming games in Paris.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sent a letter to the Philippines, rejecting their request for an exemption to the age limit for boxers, which is currently set at 40. This age limit was raised from 34 in 2013.

Additionally, the Philippines had sought a "universality" entry, which is granted to countries with a limited number of athletes in the Olympic games. However, the IOC stated that this entry is not allocated to teams with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports at the last two editions of the Olympic Games, which is the case for the Philippine Olympic Committee.

One of boxing's biggest stars has confirmed the date for his upcoming fight. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, revealed during an interview with TV Azteca that he intends to return to the ring on May 4, which aligns with his tradition of fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend. While Alvarez didn't disclose the name of his opponent, he did mention that the fighter is American, and they are currently finalizing the details.

Alvarez's appearance on TV Azteca also served as an announcement of a new one-year deal with the network, ensuring that his fights will be broadcast for free in Mexico. The 33-year-old boxer expressed his intention to continue competing for at least another five years.

According to The Ring's report on Monday, Jermall Charlo, the WBC middleweight champion, is likely to be Alvarez's next opponent. It's worth noting that Alvarez previously defeated Jermell Charlo, Jermall's twin brother, in September. Although Jermall is considered to be a potentially tougher challenger, as he has only fought once since June 2021, with a victory over Jose Benavidez Jr. in November.

Devin Haney, the current WBC junior welterweight champion, is preparing for his first title defense against fellow rising star Ryan Garcia on April 20. After initial reports of negotiations between the fighters, Haney's father and trainer, Bill Haney, confirmed that the fight is now officially a "done deal," according to PPV.com. However, the specific location for the bout has yet to be determined.

The discussions between Haney and Garcia began following Garcia's victory over Oscar Duarte on December 2 and Haney's triumph over Regis Prograis on December 9, which earned him the WBC belt. Initially, negotiations between the two fighters came to a halt when Garcia expressed interest in facing WBA champion Rolando Romero instead.

However, Romero later withdrew from the negotiations to defend his title against Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz. Despite the Haney camp's initial dissatisfaction with Garcia's change of plans, it seems that the opportunity to secure a lucrative fight outweighed any previous grievances.

Haney's dominant victory over Prograis marked his debut in the junior welterweight division. He had previously become the WBC lightweight champion in 2019 when he was elevated from interim champion to full world champion after the WBC designated Vasiliy Lomachenko as their "franchise champion." Although some critics referred to Haney as an "email champion" due to not winning the belt in the ring, he ultimately concluded his lightweight reign as an undisputed champion.

The late 2010s and early 2020s witnessed the rise of a talented group of fighters in the 130 to 135-pound range. Boxing fans were excited about the potential for great fights in the future. However, despite the recent trend of high-level matchups and unification bouts, very few of these anticipated fights involving the young fighters in the lightweight division have actually taken place.

Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, and Ryan Garcia were the key figures in this youth movement. So far, the only fight that has occurred between two of these fighters was Davis vs. Garcia in early 2023, which was a major success in terms of attendance and pay-per-view sales.

Both Lopez and Stevenson, who are 26 years old, have made statements about retiring at different points in their careers. Lopez recently claimed he was stepping away from the sport following his dominant victory over former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor to capture the WBO title in that weight class.

Shakur Stevenson, the current WBC lightweight champion and former champion in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, made his own "retirement" announcement on January 23. This came after the WBO mandated a fight between Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk for the vacant title instead of a potential matchup with Stevenson. The news of not getting a fight with Navarrete seemed to have upset Stevenson and led to his retirement statement.