By Carlos Boogs

Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum told media members on Wednesday that he would entertain a future fight between Manny Pacquiao and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - if the Filipino star would continue his career beyond a planned retirement bout next month with Timothy Bradley.

Pacquiao will return to the ring on April 9th in a trilogy bout with Timothy Bradley from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Less than a month later, on May 7th, Canelo will defend his WBC middleweight title against Amir Khan, at a catch-weight of 155-pounds, from the brand new T-Mobile Arena.

Canelo's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, had at one time wanted to make a fight with Pacquiao.

Responding on Thursday, De La Hoya says a Pacquiao fight is now the backburner as Canelo has other roads to follow, like facing the best fighters at 154 and 160-pounds - including WBA/IBO/IBF world champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin.

De La Hoya says his fighter is stepping in the ring with the boxer that both Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. refused to fight for the last twelve months.

"I heard Bob Arum wanted to talk to me about making Pacquiao-Canelo, but hey, I think that train has already left the station," De La Hoya said.

"Canelo will now fight the guy that Pacquiao didn't want to fight, the guy that Mayweather didn't want to fight. Canelo is fighting with Amir Khan, and after that we have to discuss other big names there at 160 pounds, including Triple G."

De La Hoya does not completely rule out a potential fight with Pacquiao in the future - the idea of the fight is highly unlikely as Pacquiao has never agreed to a fight beyond a limit of 150-pounds and Canelo has refused to fight below 155 since the loss to Mayweather in 2013.