Top Rank chief Bob Arum is tentatively set to arrive in Manila on Aug. 3 to dot the Is and cross the Ts regarding Manny Pacquiao’s much-awaited ring return on Nov. 10.
Reporting from Los Angeles, Arum told the Bulletin on Friday that Pacquiao’s choice as an opponent is a tossup between American Tim Bradley and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez although the name of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is also on the radar.
When he arrives, Arum intends to program the timetable for the November bout owing to Top Rank’s tight schedule in the remaining months of 2012.
Top Rank has lined up three major events starting with the Sept. 15 headliner featuring Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Oct. 20 clash between Nonito Donaire and Jorge Arce possibly at the AT&T Arena in San Antonio, Texas and the November comeback of Pacquiao probably in Las Vegas.
“I will be staying for a few days and once I get everything done, I will schedule the press conference (announcing Pacquiao’s next fight) in late-August,” said Arum, although the 80-year-old Hall of Fame promoter would already know who the opponent is by the time he heads back to the US from the Philippines.
To expedite the selection process, Arum and Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Canadian right-hand man, will meet up this weekend in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao had earlier expressed his disenchantment with the prospects of facing Bradley in a direct rematch because the whole wide world knew that even though he did not win on the judges’ scorecards, 99.9 percent of the people believe that he deserved the decision.
But the 33-year-old Pacquiao has softened his stance on Bradley and even hinted last week upon returning from a vacation in Israel and France that the thought of exacting payback has intrigued him.
Still. Marquez is also an attractive alternative to Bradley because he is a tried and tested crowd-drawer and a pay-per-view star specially when he shares the ring with Pacquiao.
The Bradley fight last June 9 just drew less than a million pay-per-view buys, while Pacquiao’s third showdown with Marquez last year generated 1.4 million subscriptions.
