Who will Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao possibly face in 2016?
At the moment, the answer seems to be up in the air as the Saranggani congressman continues to recover from a recent surgery on his right shoulder.
Pacquiao bared the injury after his May 2 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., something that cropped up when the eight-division champion conspicuously threw fewer punches than Mayweather.
The concealment of his injury drew more howls than praises, particularly from the ones who placed bets on the fight.
Mayweather has said he was not interested in a rematch with the Filipino fighter despite initially being open to the idea.
Among the names reportedly being considered are former sparring partner Amir Khan and a familiar foe in Timothy Bradley Jr. Keith Thurman, an opponent whom trainer Freddie Roach believes will give Pacquiao a run for his money, could be another option.
Kell Brook was also mentioned before but nothing has so far materialized. With a long list of names, it remains to be seen whom Pacquiao will choose, though his camp already had preliminary talks earlier this year prior to the Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown.
Had Mayweather not agreed, Pacquiao and Khan would have squared off this September. But now all that could possibly take place as early as the first quarter of 2016.
A rematch with Mayweather is not totally out of the picture despite Mayweather's announcement that his September fight will be his last before retiring. But after the record-breaking revenue that the last fight racked up, the door for a rematch, despite the objection of many, could stay open.
A fight with Bradley could also make sense since Desert Storm has just been installed as the official WBO welterweight champion. This has taken place after a controversial win over Jesse Vargas and after the WBO stripped Mayweather of the title for failing to settle sanction fees last July 3.
