Manny Pacquiao and Bob Arum. File Photo
Manny Pacquiao’s next fight could probably be his swan song as the fighter prepares another melody, his potential senate seat in the Philippines.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, told Los Angeles Times that a Senate seat would require more of Pacquiao’s time compared to his tenure as a congressman.
“He can’t [mess] around and take off to go into a training camp for three months if he’s in office as a senator,” Arum said in the LA Times report. “Senators do most of the work in the Philippines. They have to be there virtually every day.”
“He knows if he’s a senator he can’t fight.”
Arum added Pacquiao said he likes his chances of getting one of the 12 available seats in Senate and they discusses the next fight should not be later than April 9.
As per the report, the pool of potential opponents are former training partner Amir Khan, rival Juan Manuel Marquez, WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley (if he beats Brandon Rios in Nov. 7), WBO Super Lightweight Champion Terrence Crawford (if he beats Dierry Jean on Oct. 24), and WBC Super Lightweight Champion Viktor Postol.
A fight against Postol or Crawford would only happen at a catchweight of 140 lbs.
Pacquiao also expressed interest in a second fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat him on May 2 in boxing’s richest fight, but with the latter currently retired and the Philippine campaign period about to roll, a rematch looks bleak.
“He would like to fight Mayweather but looking where we are on time, I told him he needs to forget about it and move on,” Arum said.
He added, “Manny’s willing to fight anybody but he wants the best deal.”
And the most lucrative option is a fight with Khan, who has a bug following in Britain, but the Brit expressed frustration as he waits for Pacquiao.
Khan, as per reports, said he’s backing out of a Pacquiao fight because Pacquiao wouldn’t sign a contract to which Arum said there was none.
“Nobody can figure out why [Khan] is saying that,” Arum also told LA Times. “I’ve spoken to his attorney, Robert Davis, and we’re going back and forth on the numbers.”
“The kid [Khan] talks too much. It’s probably why he lost the Mayweather fight.”