Boxing News: Kell Brook or Terence Crawford is more exciting as Manny Pacquiao's comeback opponent

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is plotting a return to the boxing ring early next year in an attempt to make the most of what is left in his illustrious boxing career. Top Rank Promotion boss Bob Arum has come up with a five-man list of potential fighters for Pacquiao’s first fight back from injury, but only two of the possible opponents post an intriguing matchup against the former eight-division titlist.

Dan Rafael of ESPN reports that Arum has potential opponents for Pacquiao, although the decision will still be made by the Filipino boxer. The report revealed that Arum’s list includes British boxer Amir Khan, welterweight titleholder Kell Brook, junior welterweight titlist Terence Crawford, Lucas Matthysse and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Arum confirmed that Khan is the leading candidate to book a bout against Pacquiao, but the boxer-turned-politician would reportedly be better suited to fight either Kell Brook or Terence Crawford. According to Zachary Alapi of SI.com’s Fansided, Pacquiao’s ring return would be more intriguing if he is to fight Brook or Crawford.

“It would be far more intriguing to see Manny Pacquiao test himself against a prime champion like Kell Brook, who would surely jump at the opportunity to raise his profile by fighting boxing’s second biggest attraction,” Alapi wrote. “Stablemate Terence Crawford is also a tantalising prospect for Manny Pacquiao, and he may have the inside track on Brook because of his notoriety with the American boxing public and his smaller physical stature.”

Apali also argued that while Marquez would be the most lucrative option for Pacquiao, he would also be the least appealing of the five potential opponents. Khan, meanwhile, would reportedly produce an enthralling fight with the 36-year-old Pacquiao, but Arum confessed that hated rival Al Haymon could be a bump on the road to a possible Khan-Pacquiao bout, making the planned fight card a “pipe dream” at the moment.

"We won't deal with Haymon,” Arum told ESPN. “We deal directly with [Khan’s] family about fighting Manny Pacquiao,"

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