The egos of elite-level boxers are truly huge. Just observe ? right after Canelo Alvarez decisioned Gennady Golovkin the other weekend, Floyd Mayweather Jr. immediately made noise that he was open to facing our very own Manny Pacquiao anew. And the Filipino has not shut down the possibility of facing his nemesis for a second time.
Maybe Mayweather wants to recapture his former standing as the world?s top pugilist and lining up a fight with Pacquiao would be an initial step. And maybe, just maybe, if Mayweather beats Pacquiao, Mayweather will be able to bait Alvarez into a fight. Besides, with Mayweather still able to command millions for a payday, Alvarez can also be guaranteed a gargantuan paycheck if he faces the American for a second time.
Notably, Mayweather dealt Alvarez?s only loss in September 2013.
But after the first Mayweather-Pacquiao fight in May 2015, which turned out to be a borderline bore fest, who wants to see two fighters past their prime square off anew? So is the boxing world ready to Floyd-Pac 2? And if the fight happens, how many boxing fans will curse Mayweather anew for not mixing it up with Pacquiao if the bout turns out to be bore fest?
This early, however, there are Filipino fight fans who want a rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao, since this will give the Filipino the chance to hand the American his first defeat. Anyway, didn?t Pacquiao dispose Argentine Lucas Matthysse last July, which is the Filipino?s first stoppage win in about 10 years?
As for Mayweather fans, his stoppage win over mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor in August 2017 showed he still has some gas left in his tank. Or does he?
So just in case Floyd-Pac 2 materializes, what can the boxing world expect?
In terms of the payday, expect upwards of $100 million to be split between the two fighters. Although that is less than the $300 million that Pacquiao and Mayweather split in their first fight, $100 million is still $100 million.
As for the hype, expect less than the first one because for sure, there is a big number of boxing fans who are still very disappointed over their first bout.
Once the bell rings for Floyd-Pac 2, what can we expect? Ho hum.
Honestly, I still do not see Mayweather seeking a stoppage win against Pacquiao, because the American has respect for the punching power of the Filipino. This was very evident in their first fight where Mayweather elected to counterpunch and dance away from Pacquiao for much of the fight.
I also do not see Pacquiao stopping Mayweather because the American is notches above Mathysse and remains slippery in the ring despite his age.
So are boxing fans prepared for another 12-round drubbing between Mayweather and Pacquiao? And will boxing analysts like me hype up the fight beyond proportion? From the tone of this column, I definitely am not hyping up the fight.
But if money speaks to make the fight a done deal, guess who will end up laughing on his way to the bank? Don?t tell me I didn?t warn you.
