By process of elimination it looks like unbeaten light-welterweight world champion Tim Bradley could be in the opposing corner against Manny Pacquiao on June 9.
Promoter Bob Arum openly announced four possible opponents for the pound for pound No.1 boxer after first choice Floyd Mayweather Jr failed to agree terms.
Arum announced last week that Lamont Peterson, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Bradley were possible foes but with Cotto having weight issues for the bout, Marquez looking to fight in Mexico in March and Peterson ordered to face Amir Khan in a rematch it now looks like Bradley could be locked in to face Pac Man.
"Does it look closer to being Bradley? It looks closer to being Bradley, obviously, by the process of elimination," Arum said to ringtv.com. "What happens if Miguel Cotto comes back and says, ’Okay, I’ll make the weight’? That opens up another possibility. But right now, he’s saying that he wouldn’t.
"Floyd is out of the picture for May. He put himself out of the picture for May. Any discussion with Floyd was over when he said he wouldn’t go for the 50/50 split."
With Pacquiao already defeating Cotto and struggling in three previous bouts against Marquez, a showdown with the unbeaten Bradley looks to be an attractive match up.
Whether Bradley is announced as the official opponent for June 9 remains to be seen. Arum is scheduled to make an official announcement on Tuesday, a few days after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s WBC middleweight title defence against Marco Antonio Rubio in San Antonio on Saturday.
