Manny Pacquiao’s opponent in his boxing comeback next year is still unknown, but reports suggest that Amir Khan could land the fight with the Filipino icon. Top Rank Promotions boss Bob Arum confirmed last week that Lucas Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) could be the frontrunner to fight Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs), but with a loss against Viktor Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), the Argentine slugger reportedly went down the pecking order to fight the former eight-division titlist in his return to the boxing ring.

According to John Dennen of Boxing News Online, Matthysse did Khan a favour in booking a clash with Pacquiao. Dennen argued that Matthysse’s 10th round knockout defeat against Ukraine’s Postol at StubHub Centre in California has put Khan in a favaourable spot to fight Pacquiao next year.

“The Ukrainian [Postol] is a stablemate of Pacquiao’s at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card, and Pacquiao-Postol won’t exactly set fight fans’ pulses racing,” Dennen wrote. “It means Amir Khan can move back into the frame for a shot at Pacman.”

Last month, Arum presented a five-man list of potential opponents for Pacquiao’s boxing ring comeback. The list includes Khan, Matthysse, Terence Crawford, Kell Brook and Juan Manuel Marquez. Arum then confirmed that Khan was the leading candidate, but he later revealed that the British fighter was not the frontrunner for a mega-fight with the Filipino. He also said that Matthysse would certainly give Pacquiao a very exciting match.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has confessed his plan to move up the political ladder and run for Senator in the Philippines next year. The boxer-turned-politician has confirmed that he will vie for the post in May 2016, although his political party for the campaign is still unknown.

"Yes, I'm going to run for (a) Senate post this coming 2016 election," Pacquiao said, reports Sky Sports. "But as to which party, that's still to be determined."

Pacquiao is currently recovering from the surgery of his torn rotator cuff, which he suffered during his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr in May. The Filipino welterweight is expected to be back in the ring early next year, allowing him a clear run of the Philippines’ May elections.

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