Op-Ed: Pacquiao-Bradley rematch most viable for both fighters

A rematch with Timothy Bradley early this year would give Manny Pacquiao a chance to redeem his WBO welterweight crown which he lost to Bradley in 2012, earning the unbeaten champion a record-breaking purse in his career.

Promoter Bob Arum has made a shortlist of Pacquiao's next opponents following his impressive win over Brandon Rios last Nov. 24 in Macau, China. He also set April 12 as the day Pacquiao returns to the ring for his next fight.

Among the original names in the shortlist include, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov. A late addition to the list is potential Pacquiao foe, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

While Mayweather would please just about every boxing fan in the world if he makes himself available as Pacquiao's next ring partner on May 3, the Mayweather-designated date for his ring return, it appears that the pound-for-pound king is bent on taking an easier assignment with Amir Khan as his opponent.

Marquez appears to be pricing himself off to a possible fifth fight with Pacquiao, saying he is no longer interested in facing the Filipino star again following his stunning knockout win last year.

In the case of Provodnikov, who became an overnight sensation when he trashed Mike Alvarado via RTD last October in Colorado, Pacquiao said he is not keen on facing the young Russian fighter because of their close friendship being his sparring partner on several occasions. They also share the same trainer, Freddie Roach.

The situation leaves Bradley the only possible choice for Pacquiao's next fight, which was reported to have been moved to a later date on account of his wife's scheduled child delivery in April or May.

Arum is seen to favor a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch which is the easiest thing for him to arrange, being the the promoter of both fighters.

Other than the remotely possible Pacquiao-Mayweather match, the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch could easily generate no less than 1 million in pay-per-view (PPV) buys. Their last PPV record together was 900,000.

With Bradley's unbeaten record and his recent satisfactory performance over Marquez last year, he certainly gained more fans and supporters.

Bradley was paid $5 million during his first encounter with Pacquiao. A rematch with the eight-division champion would probably earn him $8 million or maybe more defending on Arum's temperament.

Pacquiao on the other hand would definitely surpass his $18 million purse from the Rios fight last November.

Because of the improved marketability of Bradley brought about by his recent conquest of Marquez and his unblemished record, it would not be surprising if the bout will generate up to 1.5 million in PPV buys. It could be the second highest PPV generator this year next to Mayweather-Khan fight.

A win by Pacquiao over Bradley in a rematch could set a record for the Filipino star to be the first to break Bradley's immaculate record, a situation that could put Mayweather in an uneasy chair to deal with the comebacking pound-for-pound competitor.

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