Manny Pacquiao's opponent for his return match in 2016 is practically done — to be more precise, 75% done.
Such was the belief of his former sparring and stable partner Amir Khan who finds himself the lone name in the list of possible opponents for the Filipino boxer after the fall of Lucas Matthysse.
Matthysse was taken out of the list after losing via 10th round knockout at the hands of Viktor Apostol recently.
"Pacquiao is a fight I would like to have because styles makes fights," said Khan while he was on hand at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Doha, Qatar. "Me and Pacquiao used to train together as well, spar together. We are friends but sometimes, you know, friends have to fight each other."
True enough, the looming fight seems to be on course, unless Top Rank promoter Bob Arum comes up with another name to add to the mix.
Right now, he is also considering Timothy Bradley Jr. and Terence Crawford as other opponents, although it would depend on the result of their respective bouts.
Bradley is scheduled to meet Brandon Rios on Nov. 7, while Crawford will take on Dierry Jean this coming Oct. 24. Expect Arum to be among the curious spectators for that night.
Regardless, Khan is still awaiting the official word. It is believed that Pacquiao and his camp will officially name his opponent by November or December.
The return bout could very well be Pacquiao's last as well, with the Filipino boxing icon set to run for a senate seat in the May 2016 elections in his country. Pacquiao is a heavy favorite to make it to the magic 12, although there are some who question his commitment, particularly his attendance.
Apparently, this was what led Pacquiao to announce that he's retiring from boxing, to focus more on his political career.
