Manny Pacquiao's Next Fight: Potential Opponents for Next Bout
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is finally in the history books.
Mayweather silenced his many critics and naysayers with a decisive unanimous-decision win over Pacquiao on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
With the big loss to his longtime rival, the question immediately turns to what’s next for the Filipino icon and once pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport.
After finally facing Mayweather in what’s expected to be boxing’s richest prizefight in history, it’s not exactly like Pacquiao can just pick some guy off the street for his next opponent.
He must go big and reestablish credibility.
Every fighter on this list will allow him to do just that.
These are the five best post-Mayweather fight opponents for Pacquiao.
5. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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This one is only here because it's pretty much obligatory.
Whatever you may think of Mayweather the man, you have to be willing to give him some credit for what he was able to do to Pacquiao on Saturday night.
His left jab and straight right hand nullified the Filipino's offense just like it had Canelo Alvarez, Robert Guerrero, Oscar De La Hoya and so many others during his undefeated run.
Despite Pacquiao's protestations after the fight to the contrary, this wasn't a very close or terribly competitive fight.
Mayweather kept the fight right where he wanted it—in the center of the ring—and kept the pace deliberately slow in order to limit Pac-Man's opportunities to flurry and possibly steal rounds.
It's hard to see what would really change if the two men did this again in September. Given this result, the hype and money necessary to traverse the minefield of a rematch probably just won't be there.
That said...
Never say never.
4. Lucas Matthysse
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Lucas Matthysse reestablished himself as one of the top 140-pound fighters in the world by gutting out a brutal majority decision over Ruslan Provodnikov last month in upstate New York.
The Machine is a former junior welterweight champion known for his pressure attack and thudding power punches. He had a few dicey moments against Provodnikov, who showed that he possessed a chin more apt to be found on a cyborg than a human, but he never wilted to the Siberian's unrelenting assault.
Matthysse is one of the few prime-time talents remaining under contract with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, and his style would make for some fireworks against the Philippine's vanquished hero.
With Arum and De La Hoya having recently buried the hatchet, and stated repeatedly that they will work to produce the best and most fan-friendly fights, a Pacquiao-Matthysse tilt in the Filipino's return to 140 pounds would be an exciting, all-action fight that appeals to the hardcore boxing fan.
Would Pacquiao's combination punching, movement and speed dent the Argentinian monster's sometimes questionable chin?
Or could Matthysse pull a Dinamita and put the Pac-Man down for the count?
We'd love to find out.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
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A fifth bout between longtime rivals Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez has been discussed, debated and demanded ever since the Mexican legend's missile right hand detonated Pac-Man's chin for a stunning sixth-round knockout in December 2012.
Marquez has never really wavered from his refusal to reopen a rivalry he declared complete after finally getting his desired result.
But with no big fights on the horizon, and the path to a world championship in a fifth weight division seemingly blocked, would Marquez possibly reconsider?
This is a fight that will be in a state of demand for however long it remains a possibility.
Their fanbases will always tune in and shell out cash to see this pair of icons do battle, and it would be nice to see if Pacquiao could even the score or Marquez could prove his one-punch knockout was no fluke.
The official record remains 2-1-1 in favor of Pacquiao, but a decisive result, beyond question, has so far eluded his grasp.
Coming off this big loss could be the perfect time to rekindle that old flame.
A win over Marquez would do a bunch to soothe some of the disappointment Pacquiao's legions of fans must be feeling right now.
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2. Canelo Alvarez
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Mike Coppinger of BoxingScene.com reported last November that De La Hoya's main charge, Canelo Alvarez, was only interested in fights against boxing's marquee names.
He dropped a few familiar ones when he claimed his top star wanted showdowns with Miguel Cotto and Mayweather, among others. But more than a few people did a double take when Pacquiao's name surfaced.
"He wants to go and fight Miguel Cotto, he wants to fight Mayweather, he wants to fight Pacquiao," De La Hoya said.
Pacquiao has only fought once at junior middleweight, a title-winning effort against Antonio Margarito, and Canelo just can't feasibly make welterweight at this point.
So there are obviously issues that would need to be overcome, with weight being primary, but how better to move on from one superfight than with another?
Pacquiao vs. Alvarez is one of the marquee matches that can be made in the sport at this moment, even after Pac-Man's decisive loss to Mayweather.
The stakes would be huge for both men.
Alvarez would need to prove, after his own epic loss to Mayweather, that he can take down one of the biggest names in the sport and take his place in the pound-for-pound rankings.
And Pacquiao?
Pacquiao can show this fighter still has some fight by taking down one of the sport's young, hungry lions.
1. Terence Crawford
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Terence "Bud" Crawford has the appropriate nickname, largely because most observers of the sweet science believe he's a budding superstar who could possibly take over the throne as the game's No. 1 fighter with the Mayweather-Pacquiao era coming to a close.
Crawford was awarded with Fighter of the Year honors in 2014 for a campaign that saw him go on the road to notoriously unfriendly Scotland and snatch Ricky Burns' lightweight title. He followed up with a pair of impressive defenses, tattooing Yuriorkis Gamboa before easily decisioning tough-as-nails Ray Beltran.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native began 2015 by knocking out Thomas Dulorme, once a hot prospect himself, to capture a world title at junior welterweight.
Bob Arum's Top Rank promotes Crawford, and it's no secret why Arum believes that his man will become boxing's next transcending superstar. So it would be logical to match him with Pacquiao in a torch-passing fight.
Michael Woods of The Sweet Science reported on Thursday that Arum was planning on pairing Pacquiao with Crawford for the Filipino's last fight in 2016.
The event could be held in an outdoor stadium in Manila—the capital city of Pacquiao's native Philippines—that could seat 60,000 people. Arum hopes that people could be allowed in for free, or the proceeds of the fight would be donated to charity.
That's a pretty grand gesture and a pretty compelling fight.
It seems destined for a bit further in the future, but could be a good opportunity for the Pac Man to either reestablish himself or put over a new young star.
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