Manny Pacquiao's Most Likely Next Opponent After Floyd Mayweather Loss

Manny Pacquiao's defeat to Floyd Mayweather on Saturday night brought to an end arguably the longest-running saga in modern boxing.

The superfight took five years to get made, and when it finally came, Mayweather won by unanimous decision to take his unbeaten record to 48-0.

The question now, after all the hype and the richest fight in boxing history, is what does Pac-Man do next?

He claimed after the bout to have faced Mayweather with a shoulder injury, per BBC Sport's Ben Dirs, a factor which may delay any plans for his next fight.

Let's take a look at a handful of options open to Pacquiao as he looks to bounce back following events at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Lucas Matthysse

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Argentina's Lucas Matthysse won a bruising 12-round bout against Ruslan Provodnikov by a narrow majority decision last month.

It was a thrilling fight in which Matthysse proved his power and endurance. Following his victory, the 32-year-old earmarked a potential match-up against Pacquiao, per HBOBoxing:

His promoter Oscar De La Hoya has also mentioned the possibility of his man going up against the 36-year-old Filipino, per Lee Cleveland of FightSaga.com:

"

I believe Lucas Matthysse should be fighting the likes of Manny Pacquiao. He has no problem making 147. Lucas Matthysse has the talent and power and excitement to go up against anybody.

"

It would surely be a thrilling fight, both men inclined to attack and possessing huge power in the punch.

The 32-year-old Matthysse's record currently stands at 37-3, with 34 knockouts. Furthermore, the pair are both contracted with HBO, thus easing the path to getting the fight made.

An intriguing prospect between two blockbuster fighters, Pacquiao against Matthysse is certainly a possibility.

Juan Manuel Marquez

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Pacquiao and Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez have a long-time rivalry that stretches back to 2004, when the pair's first fight ended in a draw.

Since then, they have fought three more times, Pac-Man winning the first two in close decisions, before Marquez won with a famously devastating right-hand knockout blow in 2012.

Since then, Marquez has insisted on numerous occasions that the pair will not fight again, that he believes he is "done with Pacquiao," per The Ring's Lem Satterfield.

However, there may well be an appetite for another match-up between the two great fighters. There are very few truly attractive next opponents for Pacquiao, but another fight with Marquez would surely be a big draw.

The Mexican may just be persuaded if he wants to even the score.

Floyd Mayweather

If Saturday's fight had been closer, a rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather would certainly have been on the cards.

However, as noted by boxing analyst Corey Erdman after the fight, Pac-Man simply did not do enough to deserve a rematch with Money, even though there is still likely appetite for it:

Mayweather's father and coach, Floyd Sr., ruled out the possibility of another bout between the pair following the fight, per The Associated Press' Greg Beacham:

After all the hype in the build-up that Pacquiao would threaten Mayweather, it never came to pass, and it is highly unlikely that they will meet again.

Pac-Man's Most Likely Next Opponent: Lucas Matthysse