By Jake Donovan

OMAHA, Neb.--For the third time in as many fights in his hometown, Terence Crawford performed in front of a sold-out crowd at CenturyLink Center in Omaha.

The latest trip home had 11,020 turned up in attendance as their local hero had his way with Dierry Jean, scoring three knockdowns en route to a 10th round knockout in their HBO-televised main event Saturday evening.

In all, Crawford (27-0, 19KOs) is a perfect 3-0 with two knockouts at CenturyLink Center, with those events playing to more 33,000 fans in all.

There are few active in the American boxing market who enjoys the type of love affair that the unbeaten boxer has with his beloved Midwestern city.

His accomplishments in and out of the ring - including a Fighter of the Year run in 2014 and titles in two weight classes - have elevated him to near the top of a very short list of future opponents for the final fight of Manny Pacquiao's incredible career.

"Look, the people here absolutely love him, and what’s not to love,” notes Arum. “These are the kids I want... great people who contribute to their community and to society.

"He's an unbelievable fighter who grows more in stature every time he comes here.”

Pacquiao and Arum have declared that his last fight will take place no later than April 9, 2016. It could come sooner, but April 9 is the working date as it's the absolute latest that the punching politician - currently serving his second term as a congressman in Philippines - can get into the ring, in order to leave enough time to campaign for a Senate seat at home in mid-May.

Of the potential candidates - a list that includes Amir Khan and the winner of the November 7 showdown between Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios - Crawford brings the most to the table in terms of what would be at stake and what he's accomplished in the ring and at the box office.

Would it be enough for the unbeaten reigning super lightweight champ to bring the wildly popular Filipino to his hometown?

"No,” Arum was quick to respond to a local media member, trying his hardest to sell it like he would even ponder such a scenario before explaining why. "The ticket demand for a fight like that, the financial investment... it would have to happen in Las Vegas.

"But we can make it as attractive as possible for the great fans (in Omaha) - and we believe 4,000 will make the trip – for a big event in Las Vegas.”

A decision won't be made by Pacquiao until after Bradley-Rios, at which point he and Arum willl huddle up and consider the best laid plans for the final few months of his Hall of Fame career.

If by some chance Crawford doesn't hit boxing's version of the lottery, his hometown fans could once again serve as the benefactor of any alternate plans.

"Without question, we could absolutely come back here for another fight with Terence Crawford," Arum told BoxingScene.com of a possible contingency plan. "But personally my opinion... Terence Crawford deserves this opportunity.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox