MACAU—After giving Asia a dose of Manny Pacquiao, it’s time to bring him back to Las Vegas.
Right after Pacquiao’s conquest of Brandon Rios on Sunday at the Cotai Arena here, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum announced that the Fighter of the Decade will next fight on April 12 and it will be in Las Vegas.
Who will he be up against, however, remains to be discussed.
Among the names being floated are Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ruslan Provodnikov and, of course, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The 82-year-old Arum, who bared that the 10-bout card cost $30 million to stage here, said there’s still a lot of things to be ironed out.
He’s added that a last minute push in the United States will spike up pay-per-view sales of Pacquiao-Rios, which drew 13,101 paying fans.
Arum also revealed that closed circuit sales exceeded expectations.
The decision to bring Pacquiao-Rios here came about due to the nearly 40 percent tax that would be slapped on the promotion had the bout was held in the US.
Pacquiao said he’s ready to face anybody Arum will put in front of him.
But if chief trainer Freddie Roach will have his way, he’d go for Marquez, who has turned down an earlier offer for a fifth fight with Pacquiao.
Bradley, who got the best out of Marquez, in their encounter earlier, expressed willingness to do a rematch and prove that his split decision victory over Pacquiao last year was legitimate.
That victory appears with a footnote that an independent panel of judges formed by the World Boxing Organization reviewed the bout and unanimously found Pacquiao the clear winner.
Provodnikov, who’s coming off a stunning victory over Rios conqueror Mike Alvarado, served as Pacquiao’s sparring partner once and they have forged a partnership.