Since the July 16th deadline for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to agree to fight Manny Pacquiao has passed, it appears we will be denied the superfight the world wants to see—again. There’s still a chance Mayweather inks the contract to fight Pacquiao within the next week, but, as we all know, Mayweather is his own boss and will never allow anyone to tell him what to do. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum hosted a conference call the very evening Mayweather remained mum to let the world know Pacquiao will now weigh his options with the two targets for the November 13th date being two Top Rank fighters—Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto. But honestly, who wants to see Pacquiao fight either of those opponents? He absolutely decimated Miguel Cotto on November 14th of 2009 and Margarito is still suspended after being caught with illegal handwraps  during his fight with Shane Mosley last January.

So with both fighters generating little interest to boxing fans, who should Pacquiao face next? Here’s a short list of potential opponents.

Andre Berto

Berto is one of boxing’s rising stars and would be a formidable opponent for Pacquiao. At 26-0 with 20 wins coming by way of knockout, a Berto vs Pacquiao bout could generate some solid interest. Considering Berto hasn’t fought since April 2010, it would make sense for Berto to get in the ring with the Filipino Sensation. Another storyline could surface considering that Berto is Haitian and this would be his first fight since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti.

Paul Williams

Known as the fighter that nobody wants to fight, if Pacquiao takes on Williams, it would add another notch to Pacquiao’s belt—especially considering Mayweather one-upped him with his textbook whipping of Shane Mosley in May. Williams’s height and reach advantage may prove to be dangerous and many feel this could be Pacquiao’s most difficult test to date. If Pacquiao defeated Williams, it would be difficult for anyone to debate his place on the pound-for-pound rankings.

Timothy Bradley

Bradley is currently in the 140 lbs division class and after his sound thumping of Luis Carlos Abregu this past Saturday, Bradley called Pacquiao out. Bradley may not be as well known as some of the other names on this list, but Bradley would prove to make an exciting fight against Pacquiao. It wouldn’t take much for Bradley to move up to 147—as he did against Abregu—or remain at 140 to face Pacquiao. There’s no doubt Bradley would come out swinging and make sure this fight wouldn’t be a stinker like the Joshua Clottey bout with Pac-Man at Cowboy Stadium.

Shane Mosley

What better way to show up Mayweather than to knockout Mosley? Even though Mayweather put a sound beating on “Sugar” Shane, Mosley would still be a name that draws if Pacquiao chose to fight him. Mosley is certainly capable of keeping things exciting and possesses the power to rattle Pacquiao should he connect with a similar shot that buckled Mayweather. Yes, he’s 38-years-old and nearing the end of his career, but this would be the last big payday and would, more than likely, generate more money than Pacquaio facing Cotto or Margarito.

Zab Judah

This is one of the more interesting fights that could happen. Many say Judah is washed up. But his third round TKO victory against Jose Armando Santa Cruz showed Judah still possesses the strength, skill and speed to possibly give Pacquiao problems. Judah is one of the bigger names on the list and could certainly use a huge payday. There’s no doubt Judah’s bravado would force Pacquiao into a dogfight. Argue with the possibility if you want to, but I’m sure you’d watch this fight with as much curiosity as everyone else.

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