Manny Pacquiao is close to announcing his next opponent and the list of potential opponents is down to two—Mike Alvarado or Brandon Rios .
According to Bob Arum (via The Telegraph) the field was narrowed down to the two welterweight contenders after their first two choices—Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley—agreed to fight each other in Las Vegas this September.
Arum told The Telegraph that the fight with Alvarado or Rios will take place in November in Macau.
After losing to both Marquez and Bradley in 2012, it is disappointing to see that Pacquiao will not have the opportunity to avenge either of those losses right away. But Alvarado and Rios remain intriguing options for the Filipino superstar.
Both Alvarado and Rios have just one loss on their resumes. Alvarado suffered the first loss of his career at the hands of Rios on Oct. 13, 2012 by seventh-round TKO. Rios was in turn handed his first loss by Alvarado on March 30 by unanimous decision.
Overall, their resumes are virtually identical, which is why Pacquiao and Arum should choose Alvarado.
Although Rios is the one whose win was more emphatic (having won the fight via stoppage instead of decision) it's Alvarado that has the most recent win. Although Pac-Man's drawing power remains the same despite his recent losses boxing is largely a "what have you done for me lately?" sport.
In addition to his current momentum, Alvarado should be the choice because he's almost guaranteed to make the fight worth the price of admission.
He has been named to Jim Lampley's "Gatti List" which consists of the 10 most entertaining boxers and his war with Rios was named as Sports Illustrated's fight of the year in 2013.
Choosing Alvarado as Pacquiao's next opponent would guarantee that Pacquiao's next fight is a great matchup for the fans.
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