Manny Pacquiao's next fight has a date already but the name of the opponent is yet to be determined.
There are a lot of boxers who want to take on the Filipino fighter on April 9 next year but who will he be?
If it is his trainer Freddie Roach who will be asked, the Boxing Hall of Fame member wants Manny Pacquiao's next fight to be against arch-rival Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez who gave Pacman's his worst loss in his career.
"Freddie's main choice is a fifth fight with Marquez by the way, but Marquez is not interested," Top Rank CEO and Pacman's promoter Bob Arum said in an interview with The Manila Times.
This is the fifth the duel of the two if ever it pushes through. However, according to Arum, the 42-year old Marquez is not interested for a fifth match.
The better news though is that the search for the man in other corner of Manny Pacquiao's next fight is down to two persons. It is either Amir Khan or Terence Crawford.
"Manny (Pacquiao) told me that his last fight will be held in April 9 next year. His next potential opponent could be anyone between Crawford and Khan," Arum told The Manila Times in a phone interview on Sunday (Saturday in US).
The 84-year old Arum insisted they are still in negotiation phase. He also reiterated Pacquiao's desire to make the April fight his last to pursue a senatorial post in the Philippines.
"But everything is still under negotiation. We'll make a formal announcement soon," he said. "Crawford and Khan are both competitive boxers. Manny told me in New York that it will be his last fight because he is running for a senatorial seat. I hope he gets elected."
Amir Khan changed his mind about Pacquiao who he previously said is stalling their talks. Now, he claims he is the frontrunner to be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent.
"I am the front-runner," Khan told BBC Sport.
"Manny Pacquiao makes a good story because we've been training partners and I've been with his coach Freddie Roach. There's a big chance of the fight happening, it's all about making sure my team is on point with the deal and they need to make sure they get the fight that I want."
