It seems that Manny Pacquiao already has an opponent lined up in the event he gets past Ricky Hatton of England on May 2.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum said immediately after Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. beat Luciano Cuello on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) in Tijuana that Pacquiao could very well meet Chavez Jr. late in the year.
Arum is optimistic that a matchup can be made that Chavez and Pacquiao would square off at 150 lbs, according to Arum?s publicist extraordinaire Lee Samuels.
Chavez Jr., son of the greatest Mexican fighter ever, campaigns in the super-welterweight (also known as junior-middleweight and light-middleweight). Pacquiao has never fought past 147 lbs (welterweight).
Pacquiao is one of about three fighters Arum is seriously considering as Chavez Jr.?s next opponent.
The 23-year-old Chavez stands almost six feet tall and despite his a win-loss-draw record of 39-0-1 with 29 knockouts, ringsiders believe that the Mexican is largely untested.
Arum plans to promote the showdown as a battle between the Philippines and Mexico with the undercard fighters featuring top fighters from the two nations colliding.
If ever it happens, the fight will likely take place during Mexico?s Independence Day celebration in mid-September.
Arum, meanwhile, disclosed that there are only less than a thousand tickets left for the Pacquiao-Hatton bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
And with more than a month before the event, a sellout is expected to be announced soon.
The UK media has reported that some 5,000 tickets had been purchased by supporters of Hatton.
