Top Rank honcho to present 4 options

MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank CEO Bob Arum will be flying to Manila next week to meet with his prized fighter Manny Pacquiao.

Arum said he will meet the 8-division champion to discuss the latter’s options for 2012.

"I'm going to the Philippines on January 8, and I should be there on January 10. I'm going to shortly, thereafter, meet with Manny," Arum said in RingTV.com.

“We're going to be offering Manny four potential opponents – [Miguel] Cotto, [Juan Manuel] Marquez, [Timothy] Bradley and [Lamont] Peterson," he added.

Arum said the selection process will begin after their discussion.

Pacquiao is planning to make his return to the boxing ring in May or June.

All four fighters are seen to provide Pacquiao a strong challenge.

Just recently, Pacquiao survived a 12-round WBO title bout against Marquez.

He eked out a majority decision, a result deemed by many critics as highly controversial. This prompted Marquez to seek a 4th fight against Pacquiao.

Cotto, who was defeated by Pacquiao via 12th-round stoppage in November 2009, presents a tough challenge, according to Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz.

"Miguel Cotto has improved dramatically since he fought Manny the last time," said Koncz. "There was a lot of improvement demonstrated when Cotto fought [Antonio] Margarito."

Bradley, reigning WBO junior welterweight champion, is coming off an 8th-round knockout of former world champion Joel Casamayor.

"Bradley is a young, aggressive fighter," said Koncz. "And he's hungry to make a name for himself."

Peterson, recently named by Freddie Roach as a good opponent for Pacquiao, hammered a split decision victory over Amir Khan to win the IBF and WBA junior welterweight championship.