Hall of Famer trainer Freddie Roach confirmed that Manny Pacquiao will pick his next and final opponent early next year from a list that includes Amir Khan, Terence Crawford and Timothy Bradley.

Roach said that Pacquiao, who expects to have his final fight on April 9 next year, told him that he will pick an opponent next year when he returns to train in Hollywood. Pacquiao’s options are unbeaten junior-welterweight Terence Crawford, British fighter Amir Khan and former junior-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley Jr., reports the LA Times.

The report also revealed that Roach placed Crawford as his top pick, but a trilogy with Bradley is reportedly intriguing for the camp because of its conflict with Teddy Atlas, Bradley’s new trainer. Atlas is convinced Bradley deserves a third fight with Pacquiao after the former defeated Brandon Rios into retirement earlier this month.

“But I think a rubber match would be intriguing, see who takes the second of three,” Atlas told RingTV. “At the end of the day, I think another Bradley fight is at the top of the list for Manny’s last fight.”

However, according to Tim Fletcher of Boxing News 24, a trilogy between Pacman and Bradley would not guarantee huge PPV numbers unlike the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight. Fletcher also noted that Bradley has yet to face tough opponents. His previous opponents are lower level fighters, which suggests a third instalment with Pacquaio would not generate enough publicity.

“There probably wouldn’t be a whole lot of interest from the boxing community for a third fight between Pacquiao and Bradley because the second fight between them last year wasn’t competitive,” Fletcher wrote.

Likewise, a match with Crawford, Pacquiao’s Top Rank stablemate, would reportedly not be enticing to boxing fans, although it would serve as a huge step for the American boxer to elevate his boxing scorer. Khan, meanwhile, would probably generate PPV numbers the most, considering his popularity in Europe and the Middle East.

If Pacquiao wants to consider PPV numbers in his farewell fight, the Filipino boxer may want to reshuffle his options. Fighting Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would be the ideal farewell bout for Pacquiao if the latter wants to end his boxing career with a bang.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES