The opponent for Manny Pacquiao's next fight will be named soon according to Bob Arum.
The Top Rank CEO and Pacman's promoter said they will reveal who the eight-division champion will take on next for what could be his last fight on April.
"He's absolutely positive we'll have an answer by Friday," Arum said when asked for update on Pacquiao's next fight during interview with ESPN's Dan Rafael.
"Would I prefer it not to be Khan? Yes, but this is Manny's last fight. I have a duty to him to present him all of the options."
Although the announcement is taking too long, the Filipino boxer's camp insists they will not be like Floyd Mayweather Jr., his latest tormentor, who is very picky of opponents.
"Manny likes to fight Crawford because he wants the best fight before he retires. He doesn't back down from any fight," Eric Pineda, the fighter's longtime business manager told local publication Manila Times. "He is not (Floyd) Mayweather who likes to choose easy opponents. Manny doesn't fight patsy rivals."
As for Arum, he thinks British boxer Amir Khan is a good choice given that he is not under his promotion company. He also revealed that Manny Pacquiao's next fight will not be held in Dubai as previously reported.
"Do I hope he doesn't pick Khan though? Of course [because I don't promote him], but I don't think he will pick Khan," he said.
"Khan was an option when we considered having this fight in April in the Middle East, so he was a guy on the table. Now the Middle East is not on the table, but he's still one of the guys on the table."
The April fight has been announced as Pacman's last in his career as he wants to focus on his political career. However, recent interviews with his trainer Freddie Roach hints it might not be the case. In fact, he wants Pacman to have a convincing win to be able to convince Floyd Mayweather Jr. to do a rematch.
"Manny needs to fight, win, come out healthy and show the world his shoulder is 100%," Roach told Los Angeles Times. "If he does, I think we can get Mayweather."
"I don't see Floyd -- and Manny -- leaving all that money on the table," he said. "If Manny looks good, even if it's $100 million for Mayweather instead of $300 million, that's a lot of money. The way Mayweather spends money, and the way Manny is so generous with his, I would hate for either to go broke. This is a way for them to not go broke."
