Timothy Bradley promoter says settlement talks might ‘heat up’

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Should Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather both win their coming fights and fail again to strike a deal for a super-fight, backup plans are moving into place.

Mayweather’s top option is Amir Khan, most logically in England.

Pacquiao’s is Coachella Valley’s unbeaten Timothy Bradley, who is in a legal dispute with his promoters Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson over the rights to one fight.

Bradley would like to escape the legal limbo before Pacquiao fights Nov. 12, so Bradley can be placed on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez III card at the MGM Grand.

Friday, Thompson said he ‘expects settlement talks will heat up in the next month ... we know he wants to fight in November.’

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum declined to say if he’s had talks with anyone, and declined to discuss whether he has set aside a spot for Bradley to fight someone on the pay-per-view card.

‘We wish he wouldn’t leave us, but what I’ve learned in business is you want to be with people you like, trust and respect, so if he wants to go elsewhere, we wish him luck,’ Thompson said.

Thompson is preparing for his next card Sept. 23 at the Ontario Doubletree Hotel, a seven-fight show anchored by super-bantamweight Jonathan Arellano (9-0) vs. Michael Ruiz Jr. in an eight-rounder.

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