Manny Pacquiao will return to MGM Grand in Las Vegas for his next fight on April 12 against a still unknown opponent.
“We’ll know before Christmas,” renowned promoter Bob Arum told Filipino sportswriters over the phone yesterday.
The short list of Pacquiao’s probable opponents is headed by unbeaten American Tim Bradley, who handed the Fighter of the Decade a discredited split decision loss on June 9, 2012 at MGM.
Pacquiao’s forgettable season ended when he got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in the sixth round on Dec. 8, also at MGM.
The Filipino ring icon resurrected his career with a lopsided unanimous decision over Brandon Rios last Nov. 24 in Macau.
Bradley bested Marquez by split last October and announced his willingness to fight Pacquiao again, if only to prove that he’s really the better fighter.
Marquez, on the other hand, has nixed a fifth fight against Pacquiao despite a juicy $12 million offer.
Also back on Pacquiao’s radar are unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., former sparring partner Ruslan Provodikov and even former victim Miguel Cotto, who was at ringside during Pacquiao-Rios.
Arum and Pacquiao are open to a megabuck bout with Mayweather, while Provodnikov doesn’t want to fight Pacquiao owing to the friendship they developed while preparing for Bradley.