Manny Pacquiao Should Be Selective with Choice of Opponents Going Forward

This stage of Manny Pacquiao's career should be less about money-making and more about score-settling.

Now, nobody should begrudge Pacquiao if he wants to string his career along to further line his pocket. His legacy is cemented no matter what he does in the ring from this point forward.

On the other hand, Pac-Man's made enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life, and there's no reason to subject himself to undo punishment if there's nothing to be gained from the fight.

Pacquiao should look to close the book on whatever unfinished business he has left in his career, namely Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather.

At least one of those opponents looks a certainty after Pac-Man's decisive defeat of Timothy Bradley. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix wrote that a fifth meeting with Marquez looks on the cards:

"

If Marquez gets past Mike Alvarado next month, Top Rank is ready, willing and able to make a fifth fight between two of boxing’s biggest rivals. Now that Pacquiao has a belt, Marquez will be eager to get in the ring with him; he has made it a priority to become the first Mexican fighter to win titles in five different weight classes.

"

Mannix also made the point that while some fans might be turned off by seeing a fifth fight between any two boxers, Pacquiao and Marquez have put on competitive, enjoyable encounters.

A fifth meeting might also help to resolve whether Pacquiao getting knocked out in the sixth round was a fluke or a statement as to Marquez's superiority in the ring.

In short, there would be actual stakes to this prospective fight beyond whatever the promoter hype machine could churn out.

The same could be said about the potential superfight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Once Pac-Man would be done with Marquez, the only box left to tick is Mayweather. There isn't anybody in the Top Rank stable worth taking on that this point.

This is the fight we all want to see but know is never gonna happen. Whether it's ducking from Mayweather, ducking from Pacquiao, squabbling between HBO and Showtime, way too many obstacles stand in the way of these two getting in the ring.

But assuming Pacquiao gets Marquez next, it should be Mayweather or bust after that. Pac-Man is 35 years old. He can't wait around for guys like Jessie Vargas, Ruslan Provodnikov or Kell Brook to become household names and/or worthy contenders.

Back in 2012, Brook made it clear that he'd like to see Pacquiao in the ring, telling Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com:

"

I think people have seen how fast Manny is, but honestly, and I don’t know if it is because of the Ingle style and what I’ve seen, I think I can beat him.

Manny is only human, Matthew [Hatton] said he thought I was better than [Saul] Alvarez, and I think I’m ready to step up to the highest level.

"

The more informed boxing fans would perhaps like to see this, but the wider audience has no idea who Brook even is, and that's not gonna change much between now and 2015 or '16. Potential pay-per-view buys would be rather disappointing for a Pacquiao-Brook fight.

Call it ducking if you want, but Pacquiao has earned the right to be a bit more selective with his fights going forward. He's nearing the wrong side of 30, and his skills are diminishing, even if he proved against Bradley that he can alter his style.

Pac-Man's been known for his indomitable style in the ring, but now more than ever, brains should trump brawn.