As we near closer to learning the identity of Manny Pacquiao’s next, and possibly final, opponent, the realization that he will not be fighting Amir Khan has set in and the real possibility of Pacquiao facing Timothy Bradley in what would be their third fight continues to be reported.
We were originally supposed to hear from Bob Arum last month in regards to Pac’s next opponent, however he did a fantastic job of flying under the radar and nobody seemed critical of that unofficial name release fail.
Then, Arum claimed Pac-man would announce the opponent on a live broadcast of a Top Rank card on truTV. But on the night before, Manny called an audible and decided not to, citing that he wanted more time to consider his options.
In the past few months, there have been three fighters that separated themselves from the rest of the prospects in the class. Those fighters are Terrence Crawford, Amir Khan, and Timothy Bradley, respectively.
However, Bradley’s name eventually started to circulate as the likely choice. It is difficult to know whether some of the reporters and outlets suggesting Bradley are doing so based on insider information or rather on the basis of pure logic. After all, Bradley is a Top Rank fighter and he makes for a much smoother and drama free negotiation.
In fact, Arum admitted that he was hoping that Manny settles on Bradley or Crawford because they were easier fights to make compared to the likes of Khan.
Even if Bradley doesn’t end up getting the fight, it is safe to say that Khan won’t be Manny’s next opponent. It’s a shame because Pacquiao-Khan offers up a significant change from what we’ve seen lately.
It is probably the most exciting fight of the three on paper, and it is has some storylines that make it even more enticing. For example, Khan was once under the tutelage of Manny’s well-known trainer Freddie Roach.
However, one of the biggest gripes from real fight fans is the fact that even though Pacquiao-Bradley would be a rubber match – Bradley won the first fight and Pacquiao the second – it does not change the fact that Bradley was fairly dominated in both outings, making a third fight less desirable.
As for the prospects of Pacquiao and Khan, although it may be theoretical now, one of their common opponents, Chris Algieri, made it clear that Khan would’ve been more than competitive in an interview with Fight Hub TV.
“I think that Manny Pacquiao would be the harder puncher, and actually his first step is probably quicker than Khan. Khan is a faster combination puncher and moves his feet around the ring probably better. It would be a good fight. At their best, I would lean towards Pacquiao, but Pacquiao coming off of shoulder injury and a layoff you never know.”
