Manny Pacquiao could be set to return to the ring against unbeaten WBO welterweight champion, according to a report from The Athletic.
The report suggests there are ongoing talks for the current divisional top dog and the legendary former eight-weight world champion to do battle in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East on June 5.
Crawford last defended his title in November with a comfortable stoppage of former world champ Kell Brook, while Pacquiao has been inactive since ending the unbeaten record of Keith Thurman to capture the WBA crown in 2019.
Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach mentioned last year that the Filipino veteran will likely fight once or twice in 2021 before retiring for good to focus on his status as a Senator in his home country.
At one stage, it appeared one of those fights would be a lucrative crossover against UFC star Conor McGregor, who was stopped by Floyd Mayweather in a big-money attraction in 2017. However McGregor's resounding defeat to Dustin Poirier in January derailed any momentum such a contest would have been reliant upon.
The Athletic's report also mentions that Top Rank and EPSN are in talks over the clash and have told pay-pay-view distributor In Demand to hold that date for now.
Mike Coppinger, author of the report, added: "It would be huge for Crawford, a fighter who has been dogged by criticism over his lack of quality opposition. Crawford is 33 and his biggest win came against Viktor Postol in 2016, a good but not great boxer.
"Pacquiao, even at 42, would represent the toughest opponent of Crawford’s career by a large margin. Yes, Pacquiao hasn’t competed since the summer of 2019, but that performance was utterly impressive, a victory over then-champion Keith Thurman. And Pacquiao is forever a legend."