While Manny Pacquiao is expected to return to the ring next November, in a fight that may take place at the Venetian in Macao, it is still not certain who will be the professional Filipino boxer will be facing.

After being knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, the Filipino returned to the ring after one full year only to outclass Brandon Rios in 12 rounds in China. Earlier this year, Pacquiao also got even with Timothy Bradley, who defeated him in 2012.

Pacquiao has bounced back and is currently upbeat after his two recent wins. Today, many pundits consider Pacquiao one of the top three professional boxers in the world.

Despite being 35 years old, Pacquiao has sustained most of his agility, speed, and technique. Nevertheless, he is definitely not the fighter he used to be in 2009. He is a fraction of a second slower now, compared to his condition in his prime. Moreover, Pacquiao does not possess the same explosive power, which he did five years ago, which could mean a lot in a boxing match.

However, the good news is that the Filipino appears to have improved his technique greatly over the last year. He was not only cool against Rios as well as Bradley, but also outclassed them both. He also demonstrated that an older Pacquiao is more prudent and sensible.

In fact, this should be sufficient for keeping Pacquiao elite for the near future. Similar to any boxer nearing the end of his career, it will be important for him to maximize his earnings. In other words, Pacquiao should go for only the biggest, best, and most historically significant fights for his remaining career.

Keeping all this in view, it appears that a fight against Chris Algieri has picked up some momentum. Some believe, Algieri flourished following his win over Ruslan Provodnikov in June and deserves another opportunity against a good foe. However, a Pacquiao-Algieri fight would be meaningless for Pacquiao's legacy. It will also be difficult sell the fight to fans, who are reluctant to spend 75 bucks on pay-per-view events every month, and there's nearly nothing Algieri did against the limited Provodnikov to consider him for a fight against Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather Jr, who has remained undefeated, has announced that there will be a surprise for his fans in May 2015. Although he did not mention any names, rumors are abuzz that Mayweather may be contemplating a bout against Pacquiao. This much-anticipated fight was supposed to take place five years ago, but was delayed owing to differences in opinions over various issues between the two camps.