Manny Pacquiao finally made up his mind and picked rival Timothy Bradley as his opponent on April 9 in Las Vegas, which will likely be his farewell bout, as he is planning to focus on his political career.

Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum confirmed to ESPN that the third showdown between Pacquiao and Bradley is set. He clarified, though, that no contract has been signed, but he has already sent $2 million to the Filipino boxing icon, as part of his $20 million guaranteed purse for the bout.

The choice came as a surprise because most fans are expecting Pacquiao to pick reigning World Boxing Organization super lightweight champion Terence Crawford. British boxing star Amir Khan was also mentioned as possible foe and has been waiting for Pacquiao to make his decision over the past several months.

Arum said he is aware of the negative reactions from fans, but the veteran promoter insisted that they made the right choice. Bradley escaped with a controversial split decision win during their first fight in June 2012, but Pacquiao manhandled him during their rematch in April 2014.

But for Arum, fans should expect a more competitive bout in their third showdown because Bradley has improved a lot after hiring Teddy Atlas as trainer. The reigning WBO welterweight champion, who has a 33-1-1 record with 13 knockout victories, stopped Brandon Rios in the ninth round of their title fight in November.

"This is a different Timothy Bradley under the aegis of Teddy Atlas," Arum told ESPN. "This is not me just saying that. The Bradley that fought Rios, whatever you thought about Rios, was a different fighter. It's still Bradley, but a new Bradley with Teddy. And at this point of his career, can Manny handle that?"

Arum also said in an interview with Las Vegas Review Journal that HBO PPV and MGM Grand were also involved in the selection process. The Top Rank boss said that they presented several factors to Pacquiao, which made him decide to pick Bradley for his next fight.

"We all gave him input," Arum said. "From the cable companies, the satellite providers, MGM, it was about who is the strongest opponent from a marketable standpoint, and we outlined everything for him and we were down to three choices and he thought Bradley was the one that made the most sense."

Arum added that Crawford is also a tough fighter, but he admitted that the budding Top Rank superstar is not as marketable as Bradley at this point. He also revealed that HBO was not too high on the proposed Pacquiao-Khan bout and that negotiations could also be more difficult since the British boxer is not under Top Rank.

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