By Chris Williams: Promoter Bob Arum says he plans on sitting down with his fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in the start of next year for the two to select the next opponent. Initially it was thought that Arum was finally open to putting Pacquiao in with WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

However, it’s now pretty clear that Arum isn’t yet ready for that fight. One got a good idea about that when Arum suggested that May might not be a good time for Pacquiao to fight Mayweather due to a cut that Pacquiao suffered in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last month. Really bad cuts sometimes need as long as six months to heal, but Pacquiao’s cut didn’t look like a very bad one and May would be exactly six months from the date that Pacquiao was cut. It would seem that Arum isn’t too eager yet for Pacquiao to fight Maywether.

Since that fight is pretty much off the table, the choice of opponents for Pacquiao is down to the following fighters:

Juan Manuel Marquez – This is a fight that Arum would like to make because it will bring another big payday for Pacquiao and it’s not a seriously dangerous one like the Mayweather fight would be. Pacquiao can probably beat Marquez by another controversial – read: gift – decision again. I can’t see Marquez ever being given a decision over Pacquiao no matter how badly he beats him. I’ve had Marquez beating Pacquiao in all three fights but he hasn’t won one and never will.

Miguel Cotto – Arum is obviously looking forward to putting Cotto back in with Pacquiao because this is a Top Rank in house fight and Arum will do well. He’ll kill two birds with one stone an everybody makes money.
Timothy Bradley – This is another Top Rank fighter. Arum obviously wants this fight and badly, but he might wait a little longer to let the fight marinate. Look for this to happen in the tail end of 2012.

Mike Jones – He won’t get the fight because the boxing public still has no clue who the guy is, and the ones that do know of him aren’t very impressed.