Top Rank head Bob Arum is expecting eight-division world champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao to return in the ring for a scheduled April fight, but the boxing legend is yet to name the opponent that he wants to face.
According to a report by Inquisitr, Pacquiao's decision could be made by the end of this week, and could possibly be against Mike Alvarado or Lucas Matthysse. The fight will be held on April 14 at the Madison Square Garden, making it Pacquiao's first fight in New York City.
Mike Alvarado put himself in the running to face Pacquiao due to his impressive performances in the previous year. In his last two fights, he knocked out Sidney Sequeira in the fourth round and scored a second-round knockout against Matthew Strode early last year.
Matthysse, on the other hand, has voiced his desire to face the Filipino legend in the ring, and idea that Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach reciprocated.
"I think it's a great fight," Roach said of the proposed Pacquiao-Matthysse fight. "Two guys who are a little bit older, and not as big of punchers as they once were, but it's a very good action-packed fight."
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez said that an April date may be too early for Matthysse, but they would be willing to compromise if Pacquiao can put a good offer on the table.
Roach also said that his prized student has a bigger goal in mind: if Pacquiao fights and wins his scheduled bout, he will immediately fight again in November, and it will be against Vasyl Lomachenko, who Pacquiao has recently been calling out.
"Lomachenko's next fight will be at 135 lbs and he and Manny will meet at 140 (later in the year)," Roach said.
If the April fight pushes through, Pacquiao will be fighting on the undercard of the welterweight championship clash between Jeffrey Horn and Terrence Crawford.
