After beating Brook, Crawford eyes Pacquiao next in 2021

FILE – Terence Crawford stands in a neutral corner after knocking down Egidijus Kavaliauskas during their bout for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title at Madison Square Garden on December 14, 2019 in New York City. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP

Unbeaten champion Terence Crawford is confident his dominant victory over Kell Brook will land him a fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao, who was the opponent he initially wanted but couldn’t meet because of the virus.

Crawford said the circumstances had now changed, and he would reopen talks with Bob Arum and Pacquiao for a fight in the Middle East, maybe Qatar, in the first half of next year.

“So now we can go back to the drawing board and try to revisit a fight with Manny Pacquiao,” said Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) after retaining his WBO welterweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Brook in Las Vegas on Sunday (Manila time).

Arum, who manages Pacquiao, said Sunday the fight is a real possibility but didn’t go into details. He said previously it could be in March or April in Qatar.

“The money was there. The fight was going to take place in the Middle East,” Arum said. “Then the minister of health said we can’t do it because we can’t guarantee that spectators would be allowed.

“Now they called us and said if Terence is successful, then we want to resume talks and see if we can do it in the spring.”