Photo by: Naoki Fukuda

Bob Arum said he may reach out to Al Haymon to gauge the possibility of Danny Garcia facing Manny Pacquiao in his comeback fight later this year, the veteran promoter told RingTV.com on Tuesday night.

But Garcia is one of a number of interesting options. It ends up Pacquiao found it harder to retire than go through a grueling prizefight. The 38-year-old superstar, despite vowing he would walk away after his last match in April, is now itching to return this year, his longtime advisor, Michael Koncz and Arum both told RingTV.com.

“He misses the sport,” Koncz said in a phone interview. “You can tell when he’s training — he’s in a different world when he trains. It’s like all the pressure is off of him and enjoys it and smiles. It’s an outlet for him.”

Arum is looking to find a site and a date that will accommodate Pacquiao’s schedule as a Senator in the Philippines. He’s also trying to lock down a worthy opponent. In the absence of Adrien Broner, who Arum said priced himself out of the negotiations, the possibility of Garcia, the undefeated welterweight titleholder is suddenly an option, he said.

Arum had reserved the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for Oct. 15 for Pacquiao’s possible comeback but that will have to get pushed back as the Senate finalizes its national budget around that time. Arum is now looking at either Oct. 29 or Nov. 5 in Las Vegas on HBO PPV, and he listed the various MGM properties, as well as the Thomas & Mack Center as possible destinations. Broner seemed like such an enticing option for Pacquiao but the financials didn’t make sense. And a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. also isn’t realistic at this time.

“Broner asked for an amount that I can’t afford that made no sense and so we passed him by, which let me tell you, saves about five years off of my life,” said Arum, who also referenced welterweight titleholder Jessie Vargas and 140-pound champion Terence Crawford as other candidates. But the idea of appealing to Haymon for Garcia’s services for Pacquiao is a delicious curveball.

“I might call Al Haymon for Danny Garcia because it wasn’t Al that (messed it up with Broner),” Arum said. “He couldn’t do anything about what the kid was asking.”

Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) professed he was hanging up his gloves after his impressive victory over Timothy Bradley in April, though he seemed to hedge his bets when he said he was “50/50” on whether he was really retiring after the fight. It was his impressive effort that made his retirement talk hard to believe. And sure enough, Pacquiao is now hankering to return.

“His primary and most important concern at the moment is fulfilling his senatorial duties in the Philippines because when he ran to become Senator he took it seriously and continues to take it seriously,” Koncz said. “So he’s working closely with the Senate president to make sure if he does come back it won’t conflict with any of his obligations or duties and he doesn’t intend to have any absentees in the Senate.”

Koncz was particularly irked that Broner is no longer an option for Pacquiao, saying he lacked “male fortitude.” “I had a lot of respect for him as a boxer,” Koncz said. “But I lost a lot of respect for him as human being. He put himself so high out of the ballgame that we’re not even concerned anymore. We’re moving on. I was interested in the fight because I think Broner is a decent fighter. I think it would have been an entertaining fight for the fans. But you have to look at the economics. We’re not going to be held hostage by some young kid.”