Manny Pacquiao catching Brandon Rios last month in Macau (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)

By Chris Robinson

During my time in Shelton, Wash. for the latest Mayweather Promotions card this weekend, I caught up with Showtime analyst Steve Farhood and got his take on various subjects in the sport.

Some of the topics we discussed were the latest rumors surrounding a Floyd Mayweather-Amir Khan fight, the breakout years from rising stars Danny and Mikey Garcia, this weekend’s Zab Judah-Paulie Malignaggi match, and the return of Manny Pacquiao last month in Macau, China.

The Venetian Resort’s Coati Arena played host to Pacquiao’s unanimous decision showcase over rugged Brandon Rios and the reviews for the Filipino star in the wake of his performance have been overwhelmingly positive.

And while Farhood was able to recognize how sharp Pacquiao was for the match, he also could see just how much of a factor Rios’ come-forward style played in the bout.

“First of all it was tremendous match making,” Farhood stated. “Brandon Rios is a very high-level fighter, but I think Top Rank and Arum understood that if Manny is still Manny, he’s going to look very good against Brandon Rios. And he looked really good.”

Having suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez this past December, Pacquiao showed that he was far from damaged, at least in Farhood’s eyes.

“What the fight told us, is that a one-punch knockout when you’re winning the fight the way Manny suffered against Marquez, is less damaging potentially than getting beat up for twelve rounds,” Farhood stated. “That can be much worse for a fight.”

The wheels are in motion for Pacquiao’s next opponent, as the dynamic southpaw is slated for an April return in Las Vegas.

And while names such as Marquez, Tim Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov are being thrown around, Farhood insists there is only one ideal option for Pacquiao at this point.

“The fight for Manny is Floyd,” said Farhood. “The fight for Floyd is Manny, in terms of what the public would want to see. Can it be made? I don’t know. But that’s the fight I want to see and that’s the fight most people want to see.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com