Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: Is It Going To Be 'Pacman' vs Terence Crawford?

As far as Manny Pacquiao is concerned, he has no plans of rushing his return to the boxing ring.

In an article from Tempo Sports, Pacquiao says that while the sling on his shoulder has been taken off, he is advised to take it easy. He has limited movement and can only point and play chess.

When asked if he would be considering a fight before 2015 ends, Pacquiao’s reply was “Hindi na (No More)”.

The Filipino boxer was around during a professional basketball match where his team, the Kia Carnival, was playing. He came to provide his players some energy and apparently it did, seeing Kia win over the Meralco Bolts.

The earliest that people may see Pacquiao could be in 2016. There is no word yet on who he will face though a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is being tossed on the table.

This can only materialize however if Mayweather chooses to do so considering he has already announced that he will be hanging his gloves after September. Mayweather has yet to announce who his ‘solid’ opponent would be though many believe that Amir Khan is the best deserving fighter for the undefeated American boxer.

Speaking of Khan, he is also being linked to a possible 2016 fight with Pacquiao though their camps have yet to sit down and discuss such. Khan is currently hoping to fight Mayweather but is open to facing the Filipino boxer and his former sparring partner.

So aside from Pacquiao and Mayweather, who else is there?

Pauli Malignaggi, a former two division champion, believes that a fighter that Pacquiao could consider is Terrence Crawford. Crawford is undefeated in 26 fights, 18 coming from knockouts.

Crawford is also under Top Rank and has captured boxing titles at the 135 and 140 weights. He is seen as someone who could easily make the jump to welterweight and Malignaggi believes that both can easily meet a catch-weight to make the fight happen.

Crawford’s last fight was against Thomas Dulorme, something he won via TKO back in April. Crawford has been gaining recognition as well. He was named ESPN’s 2014 Fighter of the Year and was recently nominated as ESPY’s Fighter of the Year.

Malignaggi views Crawford as a star of tomorrow and believes that a showdown between the two could be something to watch.

Would Crawford be a worthy opponent for Pacquiao when he returns next year over Mayweather or Khan?