Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has opted to forego the announcement of his final opponent for April but as it stands now, he may no longer have to.
After Amir Khan and his camp decided to pull out and work on a possible (and perhaps more realistic) fight with fellow Brit Kell Brook, Terence Crawford is technically ruled out as well.
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This stems from reports from USA Today that Crawford is set to make a title defense this coming February at Madison Square Garden, which would technically make it impossible for him to be up and ready against Pacquiao on April.
So if we go through the shortlisted candidates, two of the three potential opponents are no longer available. Unofficially it makes Timothy Bradley Jr. the lone name in the mix and perhaps Pacquiao’s final opponent before he ventures into a career in politics.
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This is now the likely scenario unless Pacquiao and company suddenly draw up new names to replenish the list. Lucas Matthysse was in the mix, but that was before he suffered a big loss at the hands of Viktor Postol.
If there are no new names drawn, it would be the rubber match between the two boxers. Bradley took the first one via controversial split decision in 2012, while Pacquiao came back strong in 2014 to hack out a unanimous decision triumph.
Pacquiao’s last opponent was widely expected to be named last week but for some reason, the Filipino boxer/lawmaker opted to forego the announcement to early 2016.
But there is a looming concern, because Bradley previously said that he would prefer to face Miguel Cotto than Pacquiao, according to boxingscene.com.
Right now that looms as a potential threat, and if it prospers, Pacquiao will be left without somebody to fight in 2016.
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