Boxing: Manny Pacquiao’s Top 5 Potential Next Opponents

Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Joe Camporeale USA TODAY Sports

After Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) essentially dismantled Timothy Bradley in their April rematch in a revenge-grabbing unanimous decision victory, questions about Pacquiao’s hunger and demise quickly evaporated.

The Pacman has rebounded nicely after getting KO’d by Juan Manuel Marquez nearly two years ago, with convincing wins over Brandon Rios and Bradley that has people confident that the 35-year-old still has it.

Now, the focus shifts to who Pacquiao’s next opponent will be when he returns to the canvas on November 22 at the Venetian in Macau, China. 

All signs have pointed towards a 5th showdown with rival Juan Manuel Marquez after Marquez scored a unanimous decision over Mike Alvarado in a welterweight-title elimination bout in May.

 Read More: Floyd Mayweather’s Top 5 Potential Next Opponents

However, Marquez seems disinterested in another fight with Pacquiao, appearing content that his iconic, face-planting knockout over Manny will be the lasting image in the duo’s rivalry.

The only thing that may entice Marquez to step back in the ring with Pacquiao is a huge payday.

Unfortunately, there just aren’t many great fights out there for Pacquiao to take. For a lack of a better term, most of the proposed potential fights are complete garbage.

That being said, here are the top 5 potential next opponents for the Filipino icon:

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Allen Levin
Allen Levin works for the Miami Dolphins in Media Relations and has covered the NBA for 5 years, including the Orlando Magic beat with KnightNews.com. He has been published in Fox Sports, CBS Sports the Orlando Sentinel and Sun Sentinel. Follow Allen on Twitter @TheNBAllen

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