Manny Pacquiao: Boxers PacMan Should Fight After Timothy Bradley

Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming bout with Timothy Bradley will be an underwhelming affair for many boxing fans, and the most exciting fight of PacMan’s career is hopefully still-to-come.

Pacquiao will go up against the 28-0 Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas, but Bradley lacks the star power to create the buzz that will catapult boxing back into the mainstream.

Pacquiao, however, is a darling of boxing fans worldwide, and he just needs the right matchup to help his sport reach the popularity it once had.

Here are three fighters that PacMan needs to get in the ring with after the Bradley fight is over.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

This one is painfully obvious, so I will get it out of the way first. Mayweather and Pacquiao are the two biggest stars in boxing right now by a long shot, and they must fight each other.

The legitimacy of boxing will be called into question if these two cannot arrange a bout. If feuds between the two camps is enough to keep the two best fighters in a given weight class from matching up, then the system needs to change. 

A Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight would not only be the biggest boxing match in a long time, it would be one of the popular and publicized sporting events of the year. The future of boxing may rely on making this fight happen.

Victor Ortiz 

According to ESPN, Ortiz is the third-ranked welterweight fighter behind Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Ortiz is 29-3-2 in his career with 22 knockouts. His last fight was against Mayweather and he did not do too well, getting knocked out in the fourth round.

But Ortiz has an entertainingly aggressive style, plus the track record to be one the division’s top contenders. He is a captivating fighter and should have been given the chance to go against Pacquiao instead of Bradley. 

Juan Manuel Marquez

Yes, Pacquiao and Marquez have fought three times already, but all three bouts have been very even fights.

The first was a draw, followed by a split decision in favor of Pacquiao and a mixed decision, also in favor of PacMan.

The last match was especially controversial, with Marquez calling the legitimacy of the decision into questions and stating after the fight that he would refuse a rematch if it was in Las Vegas, according to Yahoo Sports.

Marquez deserves another shot at Pacquiao, and if the Mayweather fight can’t happen, this would be an intriguing bout for boxing fans.