Pacquiao of the Philippines Celebrates His Victory Over Bradley of the U.S. After Their Title Fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines celebrates his unanimous decision over WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley of the U.S. after their title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada April 12, 2014. Bradley was previously undefeated. REUTERS

The showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Saul Canelo Alvarez could happen late this year, if negotiations between Top-Rank promotions and Golden Boy Promotions go smoothly, according to a source close to situation.

Pacquiao, fresh from capturing back the WBO welterweight championship belt after peppering Timothy Bradley on his way to as 12-round unanimous decision win, could make his return in the light middleweight to face one of the most popular names in boxing today in Alvarez.

Alvarez is also coming off a win, a 10th TKO win over Alfredo Angulo, and set to face Erislandy Lara for the WBA Light Middleweight championship in July. The young Mexican boxer is considered by a number of boxing analysts as the second coming of Oscar De La Hoya because of his rare combination of good looks and talent in the ring.

Ending the Cold War on Big Note

Boxing fans have been deprived of big matches for years because of the ongoing rift between Golden Boy and Top-Rank. However, De La Hoya provided an insight that a cold war will soon come to an end by reaching out with Top-Rank head honcho Bob Arum on Christmas Day.

Arum also expressed his willingness to engage in a talk with his former prize fighter with regards to arranging a megabuck showdown involving fighters from both camps.

"I'd be happy to talk to Oscar about any subject in boxing he wishes to talk about," Arum told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. All this baloney about a cold war has never really applied to Oscar and myself."

When asked about the possible clash between Pacquiao and Alvarez, the Golden Boy did not rule it out, as he believed big fights could happen as long as everything falls in place.

"Anything is possible," De La Hoya said to the LA Times about a Pacquiao vs. Canelo fight. "That's one of the reasons I was extending the olive branch. The fans want to see these fights."

Pacquiao's last and only fight in the light middleweight division happened in 2010, when he obliterated Antonio Margarito to win the WBC Light Middleweight championship and become the only boxer with a championship in eight different weight classes.

Another option for Pacquiao is to go down at 140-pound class, where a showdown with Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Amir Khan and even former sparringmate Ruslan Provodnikov could take place.