Talk of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. matchup seems to have been squashed by Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, leaving Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley as the logical next opponent for Pacman.
Another option floated about has been Juan Manuel Marquez, who was beaten in his last fight by Bradley but carries a special rivalry with Pacquiao. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum shot that down though, explaining Marquez has no interest.
"[Juan Manuel] Marquez isn't going to fight him," Arum told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. "I'm not going to get on my knees to get Marquez to do it. Period, he isn't going to fight him. So I have Bradley, Marquez and Ruslan Provodnikov. What I would like to do is if Pacquiao fights Bradley, have Ruslan fight Marquez. That would punish Marquez for refusing to fight Pacquiao."
In theory, Bradley could also take on Ruslan Provodnikov in a rematch, but he has indicated it would require a prohibitive price tag to entice him to get back in the ring with the "Siberian Rocky."
"At the time I fought him, I was in a different position than I am now. I'm looking for big fights, and I know this rematch would be a huge fan favorite or whatever," Bradley said. "But they're going to have to pay me a whole lot of money. They're going to have to pay me a whole lot of money to get back in the ring with that animal. That dude is a beast."
Bradley is also on record saying a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a dream fight, but in the same interview acknowledged that a matchup is highly unlikely. Therefore, all roads seem to lead to Bradley-Pacquiao II, giving "Desert Storm" an opportunity to prove his initial win against Pacquiao was not a fluke.
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