Manny Pacquiao: Floyd Mayweather and Pac-Man Most Likely Opponents

It’s no secret that every boxing fan in the world wants to see Manny Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather at some point in May after facing Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time.

But like the infamous saying goes: “You caaaan’t always get want ya want." All of the drivel surrounding it can make your head spin.

So let’s realistically look at the next opponents for the two greatest fighters of this generation…

Amir Khan

An angle that would appeal to Pac-Man is that he and Khan train together on a normal basis at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. This means both fighters would have terrific insight into each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Freddie Roach could certainly promote this one.

Khan is also the most popular boxer in Great Britain, which means the payout would be enormous.

Timothy Bradley

He is a top 10 pound-for-pound boxer right now and has an undefeated 21-0 record.

He will be on the undercard of this Saturday’s big fight, so Manny can take a look at his style up close. Factor in his relationship with Top Rank promotions and it’s a strong possibility that Pac-Man and Mayweather could be his next opponent.

Sergio Martinez

“Maravilla” currently holds the title for punch of the decade after knocking out Paul Williams cold.

He doesn’t have the biggest fanbase, but he was ranked No. 3 in The Ring magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings behind Pacquiao and Mayweather.

He is a high-risk for both fighters because of his impressive size and strength—which means Mayweather would likely pass.

Andre Berto

He may have lost to Victor Ortiz, but the 28-year-old has a sparkling 28-1 overall record, with 22 of those coming via knockout.

He held the welterweight belt because of his lighting fast punches, but would likely pose little threat to the two big dogs. The payout wouldn’t be on par with the other fighters as well.

Verdict: Assuming Pacquiao-Mayweather doesn’t happen in May…somebody is going to fight Khan. My bet is on Mayweather.