Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire and Brian Viloria could all appear on the same fight card April 20 in the Philippines.
As reported by Ronnie Nathanielsz in the Manila Stand Today and Boxing Scene, Pacquiao wants to fight in Manila and the opponent might be either Brandon Rios or Humberto Soto.
While who Donaire and Viloria will fight hasn't been revealed yet, the opponents are both expected to be Mexican fighters.
Filipino super featherweight Michael Farenas is in consideration for the undercard after his gutsy performance against Yuriorkis Gamboa on the undercard of Pacquiao-Marquez IV.
Following his knockout loss to Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao was originally supposed to not spar until early March, as mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The short time between early March and April 20 would leave Pacquiao no time to spar, but the NSAC doesn't have jurisdiction in the Philippines—therefore Pacquiao can begin sparring much earlier.
Expensive fight
The only major concern with scheduling such an event is the cost associated with hosting it. Pacquiao's last fight in Manila was in 2006 and cost $4 million to promote.
Promoting an event featuring a Filipino and Filipino-American all-star fight card of Pacquiao, super bantamweight kingpin Donaire and flyweight world champion Viloria would be a much more expensive venture.
The concern over expenses may be alleviated by the interest of Manny V. Pangilinan, one of the richest businessmen in the Philippines. His sports business interests have included a desire to take a stake in an unnamed NBA franchise in the Western Conference, as reported by ABS-CBN News. He also owns the Meralco Bolts, a Philippine Basketball Association team. While his involvement is not confirmed yet, a member of Team Pacquiao is said to be making proposals to Pangilinan.
Even without Pangilinan's involvement, a member of Team Pacquiao said the financial side "can be worked out."
While Team Pacquiao seems confident, Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank Promotions, which promotes Pacquiao, said he wouldn't know any more about a possible fight until he spoke with Pacquiao upon the boxer's return from Israel.
Pacquiao returned on Jan. 9, but no word has come as to whether he and Arum have yet discussed the bout.
Marquez Comeback
In other news, Boxing Scene's Miguel Rivera and Rafael Soto report that if Juan Manuel Marquez continues to fight, he will do so with a return in Mexico on either April 13 or April 20.
He will likely face either undefeated welterweight Jesse Vargas or Ricky Hatton-conqueror Vyacheslav Senchenko in Mexico before facing Pacquiao in a fifth fight on Sept. 14.
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