by Nick Giongco
Manila, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao has already been briefed about the pros and cons of fighting Tim Bradley or Ruslan Provodnikov and the Filipino star’s adviser yesterday said his boss is weighing all the options to maximize their earning potential.
“It’s all about the money now,” said Koncz from Los Angeles a day after conferring with Top Rank chief Bob Arum as they finalize the details of Pacquiao’s ring return possibly at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Arum has booked an April 12 date for Pacquiao, who Koncz said “got back in the driver’s seat after his impressive performance in Macau” against Brandon Rios last year.
Koncz said “we are exploring all options” and Pacquiao is expected to regain his former stature as a drawing power in the US when he headlines another HBO pay-per-view presentation.
Bradley is seriously being considered as he and Pacquiao have an unfinished business following the American’s controversial split decision win in June 2012.
A rematch with Bradley has the makings of a PPV success as Pacquiao is a certified hit, while Bradley has started to gain inroads following his slambang bouts with Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Provodnikov also entered the scene as the Russian banger is a certified crowd-pleaser but since he is also being trained by Freddie Roach and the fact that he is an untested commodity in pay-per-view, Bradley has the edge in landing the Pacquiao lottery.
Still, Koncz said Pacquiao will carefully study the proposals that have been laid out before making a decision.
Marquez was ruled out as a possibility as the Mexican maestro has publicly declared that a mouth-watering fifth fight with Pacquiao doesn’t motivate him anymore even if he is offered a hefty purse.
Koncz said he expects Pacquiao to earn a paycheck that he used to make before his unfortunate run-in with Marquez in late-2012.
“Had Manny lost against Rios, it would have been a different story but Manny put on a very good performance against Rios so he’s back,” added Koncz.