MANILA, Philippines – The camp of undefeated champion Terence Crawford is keenly waiting for Manny Pacquiao to name his next opponent.
While hopeful that Crawford will eventually win the Pacquiao sweepstakes, the boxer’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, said they are also ready for the worst.
“Does Manny want to deal with this young, strong kid?” Dunkin rhetorically asked boxing scribe Michael Woods of The Sweet Science.
Pacquiao will reportedly study the tapes of the recent fights of Crawford and Timothy Bradley first before coming up with a final decision on who to fight next. Both Crawford and Bradley impressed in their latest outings, defeating Dierry Jean and Brandon Rios, respectively, to position themselves for a lucrative match with Pacquiao.
In the case of Bradley, his nine-round domination of Rios – another former Pacquiao foe – opened up the possibility of a rubber match with the Filipino icon, whom he upset in 2012.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan is still an option for Pacquiao, who said his fight in April next year would be the last of his illustrious boxing career.
Dunkin, for his part, said Crawford, who holds the WBO junior welterweight crown, will fight on – whether it will be against Pacquiao or someone else.
“Regardless, I like Crawford's attitude. If I get the fight, great, if not, we fight on,” said Dunkin. – Dino Maragay