CHINA TOPIX

03/28/2024 06:05:19 am

Make CT Your Homepage

Top Rank’s Bob Arum: Pacquiao Foe to be Announced on Friday Night

pacman

(Photo : gettyimages.com) Manny Pacquiao is Set to Name His Final Opponent for his Farewell Fight on April 9.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said that the World's first and only eight-division champion Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) will reveal his final opponent for his farewell fight on April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada this Friday.

The announcement will be made from Puerto Rico on a Top Rank's truTV- televised card featuring the country's exceptional fighter, Felix Verdejo, and former four-division titleholder Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire in different bouts on that night.

Like Us on Facebook

According to an ESPN report, Arum has stated all along that the Filipino boxing legend is considering three candidates: WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley Jr. (33-1-1, 13 KO's) and unbeaten WBO junior welterweight titlist and 2014 fighter of the year Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KO's). Both fighters are under Top Rank Promotions. Former 140-pound champion British Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KO's) recently fell out of consideration and is viewed as an unlikely opponent for Pacquiao due to complicated negotiations.

In a Los Angeles Times report, Bradley's wife and manager Monica said that there is no completed deal yet to fight the former pound-for-pound king for the third time, but she admitted that she had been in talks with Top Rank president Todd duBoef.

Dialogues have been more about finalizing purse money, an official close to Arum's promotional company said. However, such discussions have not taken place in Crawford's camp.

Bradley, the reigning WBO welterweight titlist, is coming off a spectacular ninth-round knockout victory over Brandon Rios on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas under the watch of his new trainer Teddy Atlas.

In 2012, Bradley won a highly contested split decision in his first bout with Pacquiao. He was then beaten by a unanimous decision in their April 2014 rematch.

Crawford will be on vacation in Puerto Rico and reportedly will be coming to the fight, so both top candidates will be there.

It seems as though one of them will head home disappointed about not getting the fight with Pacquiao, who underwent a rotator cuff surgery after injuring his arm in a unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather during their mega-fight on May 2. 

Real Time Analytics