Manny Pacquiao will pick his next opponent soon
Timothy Bradley, left, ducks a Manny Pacquiao punch during their WBO welterweight title match at the MGM Grand Arena on June 9. Source: AFP
Pacquiao must decide whether he will rematch Timothy Bradley for the WBO welterweight crown, take on Juan Manuel Marquez for the junior welterweight title, or hold off until early next year and fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a superfight worth a mountain of money.
But with so many options on the table, it’s hard to peg a possible match-up.
Originally, a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch looked certain after the controversial split decision shocker.
But then rumours surfaced that ‘Pac-Man’ promoter Bob Arum wanted Pacquiao to instead fight Marquez for a fourth time after beating him twice and drawing once.
But when holes in the Marquez plan began to sink the idea, fight talk shifted to a 2013 showdown against Mayweather in April or May.
Fans have longed for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight but negotiations have always broken down and the luster has started to really dim in the wake of Pacquiao’s defeat and Mayweather’s incarceration.
Today, Pacquiao’s advisor met with Top Rank CEO Arum to discuss his next fight, but no details from the meeting have emerged yet.
In June, undefeated Bradley chose to keep the WBO welterweight crown and forfeit the WBO junior welterweight crown.
The decision pushed Marquez into the WBO junior welterweight throne.
Marquez, who had held the interim WBO junior welterweight title, has now reigned in four weight classes, half as many as Pacquiao. Each Pacquiao-Marquez fight was a slugfest and a close verdict.
In reality, either Marquez or Bradley appears to be more of a chance than unbeaten Mayweather, who has recently been released from prison after serving time on domestic violence charges.
Just stay patient.
By: Ben Harvy