Pacman looking for opponent – none so far

MANILA, Philippines - Is Manny Pacquiao having difficulty shopping for an opponent?

Because if he can’t buy Timothy Bradley for $6 million or Juan Manuel Marquez for $13 million, then the answer is yes.

Pacquiao may end up fighting someone he doesn’t really want to fight, and it’s either Mike Alvarado or Brandon Rios.

“He really wanted to fight Marquez or Bradley but they both refused that’s why we’re looking at the other guys,” said a Team Pacquiao insider.

Last week, both Bradley and Marquez turned down the offers from the Pacquiao camp, and instead decided to face each other this fall.

It’s a puzzle to many why Bradley and Marquez, who both defeated Pacquiao in 2012, refused such offers when they can’t make as much facing each other.

Marquez said there’s no point in fighting Pacquiao a fifth time, and the only challenge he sees out there is winning a fifth world title in five weight divisions.

Bradley holds the WBO welterweight title he stole from Pacquiao last June, and if Marquez beats him, the 39-year-old becomes the first Mexican to achieve such feat.

Regardless of how much he makes, Marquez will have world titles in the featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight and welterweight divisions in his closet.

To him, that’s very important.

Bradley, on the other hand, did not bite the $6 million offer from Pacquiao because reports said the undefeated American felt that he was being short-changed.

Bradley received a guaranteed purse of $5 million for the Pacquiao fight, which he won in the judges’ scorecards, and was told then he would get $10 million in case there was a rematch.

But he was offered $6 million, and so he decided to face Marquez, perhaps for a lesser price.

Marquez and Bradley are scheduled to face each other in an interesting fight on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. But the fight could be moved to Oct. 13 depending on Floyd Mayweather’s schedule.

Pacquiao, in the meantime, is shopping for an opponent, and looking for a date to hold the fight in Macau.

The 34-year-old Filipino trying to stretch his prime was originally booked for a ring return in September. Then it was moved to October and now, to November.

His adviser, Mike Koncz, spoke to The STAR yesterday, and said they’re hoping to finalize everything this week.

September is no longer for Pacquiao because of the Marquez-Bradley showdown or Mayweather while October is a very busy month in Macau with all the Chinese holidays, and they can’t squeeze in a fight.

Therefore, November seems to be the only choice. If that happens, then it will be 11 months after Pacquiao’s last fight – the longest layoff in his career. He fought three times in 2008, and twice in each of the following years. Obviously he can’t fight twice this year.

“We will come up with a statement and let you know once everything is finalized because everything keeps on changing,” said Koncz.

“Just wait for the announcement,” he said.