By Edward Chaykovsky
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum is willing explore every option for the next ring appearance of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs).
Pacquiao returns to the ring on November 5, when he challenges World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs).
The fight takes place at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Top Rank will handle the pay-per-view distribution of the event.
Pacquiao retired back in April after winning a twelve round decision over Timothy Bradley in their trilogy bout. To decision to stay away from the ring was short-lived. Beyond his scheduled fight next month, Pacquiao wants to fight at least two more times in 2017.
For years, Arum had an ongoing feud with powerful boxing manager Al Haymon. After they settled their federal lawsuit earlier this year, all of their past animosity was tossed out the window. Arum and Haymon have had numerous discussions about doing future business.
Haymon has a lot of welterweights under contract - and that presents a lot of possible opponents for Pacquiao. Two opponents on Arum's radar, are welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman - who are slated to face each other next March.
“We look at Haymon as a guy who manages a lot of good fighters and if any of them would fit as opponents for our guys, we’d be interested in talking,” Arum said to Yahoo Sports. “There is no animosity between us. The door is open. The fact that we’re doing the pay-per-view ourselves takes the network equation out of it and makes it that much simpler to make a deal. …
“A guy like Garcia would be an interesting opponent. Keith Thurman, he would be a possibility. As long as the guys don’t price themselves out, we’d be interested. Haymon and I worked hard to try to get [Adrien] Broner for this [Nov. 5] fight. We’re open to putting Manny in the fights the public wants to see and we’re not closing any doors.”
