Hitman Manny Pacquiao eyes up his next fight

After demolishing Britain's Ricky Hatton in less than two rounds in Las Vegas at the weekend, what’s next for Manny Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world?

The most enticing prospect is a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, the stylish American boxer who dealt Hatton his first defeat when they fought in 2007. "I like to fight him. I can fight anybody", Pacquiao told the Manila Times. Mayweather has been in retirement of sorts, but returns to the ring in July to fight Juan Manuel Marquez.

Should he beat the Mexican, a fight against Pacquiao would be boxing’s biggest night of the decade. "A busy fighter is a good fighter, we're not going to wait around," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach warned. "Mayweather just had to wait one day and this fight could’ve happened. I think he’s scared of Manny."

Pacquiao certainly won’t be short of offers, and the men who promote Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr - all top-class opponents from various weight divisions - will be gunning for a big-money match-up.

One fighter who won't be getting a shot at the Filipino, however, is Bolton's Amir Khan. As Roach said, "They spar together all the time but they're pretty good friends so I don't think we're going to see them fight each other. It would be pretty exciting if it ever did happen, but with me being trainer of both guys I'd try and prevent it."

Of course, Pacquiao has interests outside the ring. One report from the Philippines has revealed that he has formed a political party of his own, known as the People's Champ Movement, which intends to field candidates for local positions near where Pacquiao lives in General Santos City and Sarangani province. This would suggest that the ring icon, who made an unsuccessful foray into politics two years ago, is looking for a House of Representatives seat, or the job of mayor in the upcoming 2010 elections.

There is, however, a consensus back home that the boxer would need to tread carefully if he entered politics. "Pacman is idolised by millions of Filipinos, especially our youth, because of his strength and endurance," one Filipino politician said. "Many would be disillusioned if he taints his real power - the unique capacity to unite the people - by entering politics." ·