Pacquiao eyeing November fight in Macau

MANILA (AFP) –

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines concentrates during his WBO welterweight title match against Timothy Bradley of the US at the MGM Grand Arena on June 9, 2012 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will likely face either of US fighters Brandon Rios or Mike Alvarado in Macau in November, his promoter Bob Arum said.

Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao will likely face either of US fighters Brandon Rios or Mike Alvarado in Macau in November, his promoter Bob Arum said.

Pacquiao, 34, who has won an unprecedented eight world titles in different weight divisions, had wanted to fight either Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and unbeaten US boxer Timothy Bradley, who both beat him last year.

But they decided to fight each other in Las Vegas in September.

“The choice is between Alvarado and Rios,” Arum said via a long-distance telephone call, conceding that Marquez or Bradley had been his initial priorities.

Pacquiao’s next fight was pushed back because October was a busy month for the Chinese in Macau with many holidays, making November a better choice, Arum said.

Pacquiao lost his World Boxing Organisation welterweight crown in June last year in a controversial points decision to Bradley, then suffered a knockout defeat to Marquez.

The Philippine boxer, who has a win-loss record of 54-5 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, was until then regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. But the losses raised calls that he should consider retiring.

Pacquiao has said he wanted his next fight to be outside the US, where he has traditionally fought in front of huge crowds and for enormous pay-per-view television revenues, to avoid high taxes.