Nobody else but Floyd?

It’ll take a particularly intriguing opponent for Manny Pacquiao to punish himself again in the gym and prepare for a fight now that there are many other non-boxing related priorities in his life.

Promoter Bob Arum flew in with his wife from the US recently to confer with Pacquiao on whom his next opponent will be. Nothing definite was agreed on. They initially marked Nov. 10 for Pacquiao’s last fight of the year but it was later moved to the first week of December in view of the filing requirements of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the 2013 polls.

Election lawyer Romy Macalintal said the Comelec has set Oct. 1-5 as the period within which candidates will file their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs). “Manny has to file it personally as the head of his political party in his province and to support the other candidates of his party who are running for local elective positions,” said Macalintal. “Arum should know that the municipal mayors of the various municipalities comprising the Province of Sarangani will be the ones who will carry the political battle and campaign of Pacquiao while the latter is training in the US for his fight. It is also a political tradition in our country that a candidate especially a congressional bet, personally files his COC in the company of his supporters, campaigners and fellow candidates or party-mates.”

Macalintal said it would be “politically correct” for Pacquiao to personally file his COC. “His personal filing of his COC anytime between Oct. 1 to 5 and scheduling his fight on Dec. 1 will make him physically, spiritually, mentally and politically prepared when he enters the boxing arena,” he added. Pacquiao is expected to bid for reelection as congressman of the lone district in Sarangani.

The question of whom Pacquiao will fight remains unanswered. Pacquiao’s legal adviser Franklin (Jeng) Gacal said Timothy Bradley may have priced himself out of the picture, reportedly demanding an eight-figure purse. However, there are other reports claiming he is virtually begging for a Pacquiao rematch and will agree to a reasonable purse. Pacquiao has a score to settle with the “Desert Storm.” Bradley’s “win” by split decision last June will go down in history as one of the worst controversies in boxing. Pacquiao should be able to beat Bradley even at 60 percent capacity. Bradley took away Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title and while the Filipino insists that belts don’t mean a thing and that what matters is the people’s recognition, it’s not right that he isn’t considered a world champion today. Besides, Bradley is unbeaten with a record of 29-0, including 12 KOs. Pacquiao would be the first man to beat him if the rematch pushes through and the Filipino regains the throne.

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Two other candidates are Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto. The Mexican is 39 and coming off a win on points over Serhiy Fedchenko for the interim WBO lightwelterweight crown last April. He hasn’t beaten Pacquiao in three outings so what’s the point of arranging a fourth meeting? There is talk that if a fourth fight materializes, it will be staged in Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium with a capacity of over 100,000. In 1993, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. battled Greg Haugen in front of 132,247 fans at the world’s fifth largest arena. A fourth encounter between Pacquiao and Marquez could set a new record of attendance for a professional fight.

Cotto is another option. Three years ago, the Puerto Rican was stopped by Pacquiao in the 12th round. It was the last abbreviated win by Pacquiao who has gone the distance in his previous five outings. Cotto, 31, has bounced back from the Pacquiao loss to halt Yuri Foreman, Ricardo Mayorga and Antonio Margarito. Last May, he gave Floyd Mayweather plenty of trouble but lost a unanimous decision. Cotto supposedly said he is agreeable to fight Pacquiao in a rematch at a limit of 150 pounds.

Then, there’s Mayweather whose record is 43-0, with 26 KOs. Mayweather, 35, was just released from the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas where he was confined for 65 days. His original sentence was for 87 days but he was released on good behavior. Mayweather has formed a new promotional outfit called TMT (The Money Team) with rapper 50 Cent and wants to challenge Golden Boy and Top Rank as the biggest mover in professional boxing. So far, TMT has signed up Cuba’s Yuriokis Gamboa, American Andre Dirrell and Australia’s IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib. Andre Berto, Zab Judah and Celestino Caballero are in the queue to join TMT.

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Mayweather won’t probably fight until April next year - which suits Arum just fine. The rumor is Mayweather would rather not fight in Las Vegas where he was jailed and instead, take his act to Madison Square Garden or the brand-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn or the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy participated in Mayweather’s last six fights as a logistical arranger but now that TMT has been formed, it looks like “Money” will go independent.

A source said Pacquiao is just too busy these days attending to political, social, family and religious priorities to think boxing unless Mayweather looms as his next opponent. But if Mayweather is the ultimate goal, maybe Pacquiao should consider a tune-up before the year ends. The perfect tune-up opponent would be Bradley even if their first meeting drew only about 700,000 pay-per-view buys. Pacquiao could square things up with Bradley and take back his WBO crown so when he battles Mayweather next year, there will be a legitimate belt around his waist. The choice is Pacquiao’s. Fight fans all over the world will respect his decision, no matter what. Pacquiao has nothing left to prove. Even if he decides to hang up his gloves right now, his place in the Hall of Fame is already assured.