LOS ANGELES — If eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao decides to fight again should he beat Tim Bradley next week in Las Vegas, he might end up challenging for an eye-popping ninth world title this September.
The opponent: world middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum revealed on Wednesday during an open media workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood that Alvarez is a big possibility down the road.
Alvarez, 25, is also fighting soon and the Mexican star is meeting British Amir Khan in May and Arum reveals that matching him with Pacquiao should be a dandy.
Even if Alvarez belongs to a rival outfit – Oscar Dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotion – Arum insists it can be done as Top Rank and GBP have joined hands many times in the past in staging big fights.
Case in point was the December 2008 clash between Dela Hoya himself and Pacquiao, who has won world titles at flyweight (112 lbs), super-bantam (122), feather (126), super-feather (130), lightweight (135), super-lightweight (140), welter (147) and super-welter (154).
“I my heart, I don’t believe he is going to retire,” said Arum.
And if Pacquiao decides to have a change of heart, Arum points to Alvarez as “the biggest fight out there.”
Alvarez has a 46-1-1 win-loss-draw record with 32 KOs, the only blemish on his record inflicted by Floyd Mayweather.
Of course, there are still quite a few mouth-watering options for Pacquiao if he fights beyond April 9.
There is a rematch with Mayweather, a showdown with rising star Terence Crawford and, of course, Alvarez, who has become the face of Mexican boxing.
Arum has broached the idea of Pacquiao gunning for Alvarez’s 160-lb crown to Freddie Roach and the celebrated cornerman didn’t mince any words, said the 84-year-old Top Rank boss.
“Freddie said ‘Bring it on’,” said Arum.