Who will Manny Pacquiao fight next after winning (or losing) against Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8? The obvious answer to this nagging question is no other than the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, Jr. But every boxing fan knows there is no certainty whatsoever in a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight. As knowledgeable fight fans know, the fight every boxing fan in the world wants to see has been the subject of failed negotiations for the past three years due mainly to disagreements by both parties on issues ranging from purse splits to the Mayweather-imposed Olympic-style drug testing process. So, casting aside Mayweather for Pacquiao’s post-Marquez fight, it appears there is a very limited choice of fighters who would satisfy the promoter’s expectations in terms of revenues to make the fight financially viable. Likewise, there seems to be few choices from rising quality fighters who now possess attractive credentials after facing the best fighters in their respective divisions in recent years. Being a long-time pay-per-view (PPV) fighter, Pacquiao’s promoter is bound to match Pacquiao with another veteran or potential fighter who could help generate more PPV buys for the fight. This is exactly the reason Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum declined to support the rematch bid of Timothy Bradley against Pacquiao as he knows the Palm Spring fighter don’t sell much in the PPV market. But there maybe at least three choices who could be potential Pacquiao challengers. These fighters have fought impressively during their most recent fights.
