According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will be flying to the Philippines to present pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao with a list of four options for his next fight in either May or June.
The options include a rematch with WBA Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto; WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley; A fourth fight with bitter rival Juan Manuel Marquez and a fight with newly crowned WBA/IBF 140 lb champion Lamont Peterson.
“I’ll sit with Manny and explain everything to him, tell him what I think each of these fights would do on pay-per-view,” Arum told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “We’ll talk about what (trainer) Freddie (Roach) thinks and about what (Top Rank matchmaker) Bruce (Trampler) thinks. Then I’ll let Manny make the decision on which opponent he wants to fight, which I am sure he will do while I am there.”
“Besides the opponent, the other thing we need to discuss is whether he’ll fight in May or June,” Arum said.
“I’m not married to May 5, so Manny could fight on another date in May,” Arum said. “If Manny’s opponent is Marquez, I’d be much more married to the date.”
The reason is because Marquez is from Mexico and May 5 is the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, traditionally a day when major bouts involving Mexican fighters are held.
Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank
