Bob Arum Says Manny Pacquiao Fight Still an Option for Terence Crawford

Terence Crawford may wind up with his sights set on Manny Pacquiao after his dominant win over Kell Brook on Friday night at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

Top Rank Promotions chairman Bob Arum told reporters a fight with Pacquiao is "still on the table," though the two sides may have to wait until fans are allowed at the venue.

The Pacquiao and Crawford camps were deep in negotiations for a prizefight this year, but the talks fell apart over a lack of guarantee that fans could attend.

"We had the venue," Crawford said. "The money was almost there. It wasn't quite there. That was the only thing that we were waiting on. But that's what messed up the fight, was the fans."

Pacquiao has not fought since July 2019 and has no scheduled bouts at this time amid the pandemic. A fight against Crawford would serve to unify the welterweight championships, with Pacquiao holding the WBA title after defeating Adrien Broner in January of last year.

Arum said officials overseas were willing to consider a potential spring 2021 fight for Pacquiao-Crawford, which could wind up with limited fan attendance. It's possible a COVID vaccine will be available by then, but it's unlikely that vaccinations will be widely available worldwide by the spring to the point it's safe to have standard attendance.

Qatar has been mentioned as a possible host country.