Manny Pacquiao is all set to face Timothy Bradley Jr. in Las Vegas this coming April 9, allegedly his last fight before venturing out into the world of politics.
While Pacquiao repeatedly says that this will be his last hurrah, his camp and the world continue to say otherwise.
The situation is not that different from someone he faced last year, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like Pacquiao, Mayweather too is believed to be returning but has vehemently denied it.
As far as Pacquiao is concerned, he is entering a new niche where all eyes will be on him. His attendance has not been that impressive and assuming he wins, being a senator will eat up most of his time.
For the sake of argument that Pacquiao does go back on his word and fight again, there are still some fighters promoter Bob Arum believes he could face. Among them is one fighter he opted to pass up — Terence Crawford.
Crawford, one of three names considered as Pacquiao's final opponent (the other being Amir Khan), is all set to face Hank Lundy on Feb.27. If he wins, BoxingScene.com claims that the World Boxing Organization (WBO) champ will have one more foe before a possible big fight in the fall.
Now, that doesn't necessarily means that it will be against Pacquiao. A lot hinges on what happens in the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight. Assuming Pacquiao opts to fight at least one more time, expect that opponent to be Crawford.
Right now, all those plans are not at the hands of Arum or anyone else from the Pacquiao camp. Only one man can make that claim and that is the eight-time division champion.
Of course, there is also the possibility that Pacquiao (for some reason) loses out in the senatorial race. Then that would likely open the doors for more Pacquiao fights.
But seeing the surveys right now, the Filipino boxer/lawmaker is seen making it to the top 12. So there will be two things to look out for — the fight against Bradley and then the results of the May 2016 national elections in the Philippines.
