A number of boxers' names were doing the rounds as potential opponent of Manny Pacquiao in the 9 April fight, which is expected to be his farewell bout as well, and Timothy Bradley, who has already defeated the Filipino in the past, has won the race to fight 'Pacman'.
Bradley and Pacquiao are no strangers inside the boxing ring as they have met twice in their career so far with each having emerged victorious once. Bradley defeated Pacquiao in 2012, while the Filipino turned the screws in 2014, which helped him turn triumphant.
So when these two boxers square off on 9 April at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, it will be their third encounter, which promises to be an aggressive and a technical one as well. Bradley and Pacquiao know each other's fighting style and will hence, be prepared for the mega bout.
With Bradley being decided as Pacquiao's opponent, British boxer Amir Khan must have been dealt a serious blow as he was one of the serious contenders, who could have fought Pacquiao on 9 April. Khan, who was also a major contender to fight Floyd Maywether in September, once again had to be disappointed with Pacquiao's choice for his farewell fight.
Pacquiao, who lost his last fight against Mayweather during the fight of the century on 2 May, will be eager to sign off his boxing career on a high on 9 April.
Though Pacquiao is expected to retire after Bradley's fight, his promoter Bob Arum is not 100% sure if Pacquiao's fight with Bradley is his last bout.
"I don't want to say that (it's his last fight)," Arum told Reuters via telephone.
"I'm not going to sell it as that because I don't want everybody to say, 'Hey, it's his last fight, come and see it!' and then it turns out that it's not his last fight.
"Who the hell knows with these guys? They all change their minds so I'm not selling it as his last fight. He says it's his last fight but who the hell knows?"
