Pacquiao Bradley (USATSI)
Manny Pacquiao's next fight will be a grudge match with Timothy Bradley. (USATSI)

Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring for the first -- and possibly last -- time since his loss to Floyd Mayweather when he faces Timothy Bradley for a third time on April 9, 2016 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. 

The fight will be the lead bout of an HBO PPV card and will be the grudge match in a 1-1 split series between Pacquiao and Bradley. Bradley won the first fight between the two in a highly controversial decision and then was beaten handily by Pacquiao in the rematch. 

Bradley currently holds the WBO welterweight title belt that was vacated by Floyd Mayweather -- who won it off of Manny Pacquiao. In his last fight, Bradley beat Brandon Rios by an 9th round TKO in a bout that was a fight of the year candidate. 

Since his win over Pacquiao, Bradley has changed his style to be a more forward, brawling puncher rather than a tactical defender. That change has made him a far more popular fighter with fans and created plenty of exciting fights -- his 2013 brawl with Ruslan Provodnikov was the consensus fight of the year. 

Bradley changed trainers prior to the Rios fight and now works with the fiery Teddy Atlas, who compliments his new forward style. Bradley looked excellent against Rios and is arguably fighting his best at age 32. 

However, he will still be an underdog to Pacquiao, who most feel clearly won the first fight and then dominated the second. This is also likely Pacquiao's final fight as he is expected to be elected into the Philippines Senate in May, but Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN's Dan Rafael that it will not be promoted as his final fight. 

"I am not going to position this as his last fight," Arum said. "It may very well be his last fight, but I won't put myself in the position of selling it as his last fight and then he decides he wants to fight again and I look like a schmuck. I'm not sure it is his last fight, despite what he told me."

That's a not-so-thinly veiled shot at Floyd Mayweather, who promoted his fight against Pacquiao as the last of his career, even though many expect him to fight again at some point in 2016 or 2017. 

With Pacquiao taking the Bradley fight, a rematch with Mayweather in Floyd's customary Cinco de Mayo slot is now off the table, and it also means Andre Ward loses out on the chance for his first major bout since returning to the ring to be against Pacquiao. 

Pacquiao will make a guaranteed $20 million for the fight, including a $2 million advance that was wired to him on Wednesday from Top Rank.