By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum really has a lot of things that can potentially go wrong for him if he makes the wrong decision when picking out his fighter Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent. If Arum selects a guy strictly because he can bring in the most green stuff for Pacquiao then Arum could be walking his fighter straight into another defeat by putting him risky fight situations against the likes of Miguel Cotto or Juan Manuel Marquez.

On the flip side, Arum can keep the Filipino nice and safe by matching him against one of his Top Rank stable fighters Timothy Bradley, but the downside to that is the fight will bring in less bank for Arum – and for Pacquiao. So, it’s really a dilemma that Arum has – to make the most cash but then have your fighter possibly get beat again – or take the easy fight with less cash but more of a chance of winning. Some promoters might get greedy at this point and just go for the quick clean cash by tossing Pacquiao in with Cotto and Marquez, but then Pacquiao will probably get beat again unless we gets some more of that good controversial decisions that we’ve seen Pacquiao involved with in his three fights with Marquez.

Another controversial decision win for Pacquiao will leave a stink that can be sniffed a million miles away, and I don’t think that would be good for Pacquiao right now. Arum might be better taking the slightly safer fight against Bradley that makes less money. Nothing is safe for the Filipino at this point in his career. He’s starting to get old all of a sudden. But if I were to pick the fight with the lesser risk among the Marquez, Bradley and Cotto options, I’d choose Bradley in a second. He’s become too muscular in moving up in weight and it’s robbed him of his hand speed, and he still doesn’t have any power.

Cotto and Marquez no doubt have noticed that Pacquiao has lost a step and are ready to pounce on him and rip him to pieces on PPV. Will Arum take the bigger money that one of those fighters can bring in but then watch his aging fighter get torn to shreds or will he go for the nice safe fight against the slow as molasses and weak Bradley?