By Keith Idec
Promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com Wednesday that Manny Pacquiao’s opponent for a fall fight in Macau will be chosen “in the next few days.”
With Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez headed toward a probable Sept. 14 fight against Timothy Bradley, Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios are the options for Pacquiao’s first fight since Marquez knocked him unconscious with one punch Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.
“That’ll be decided in the next few days,” Arum said. “We’re trying to do the best for everybody.”
Alvarado defeated Rios in their March 30 rematch in Las Vegas, but Pacquiao also could face the rugged Rios in what would be an entertaining encounter.
One certainty is that the Filipino superstar’s fall fight will take place in Macau, a Chinese gaming/resort city near Hong Kong. The success of the promotion Arum’s Top Rank Inc. ran in Macau for an April 6 event that was broadcast by HBO2 convinced Arum and Macau casino/hotel executives to bring a higher-profile Pacquiao fight to that city.
Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) will face Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) or Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) in an HBO Pay-Per-View main event sometime in November in Macau, not October, as initially planned.
“It’ll be in November, because the fight will be in Macau and because October is filled with these Chinese festivals,” Arum said. “They say it’s not conducive to doing an event when these festivals are going on, so they asked us to go in November.”
A November return means nearly a year will pass between bouts for the 34-year-old Pacquiao.
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
