Manny Pacquiao hinted he could beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. if he faced him again.
The pair finally met in a long-awaited fight in 2015, but Mayweather ran out an easy winner in a largely disappointing clash. Pacquaio afterward revealed he had been hampered by a shoulder injury.
Speaking ahead of his clash on Saturday in Las Vegas against Adrien Broner, the 40-year-old said he is in much better shape now and the result may be different if he came up against Mayweather again, per TMZ Sports:
“I feel like I’m in my late 20s. The way I work hard, the way I move, it’s still the same, nothing’s changed.
“Of course, it’s different [to the Mayweather fight]. It’s [a] very big difference when you’re healthy or not healthy.”
American Mayweather is retired. But he has been tempted back to the ring before, most recently in 2017 when he stopped MMA fighter Conor McGregor in the 10th round.
That victory took Mayweather’s career record to 50-0, and he could be enticed by the prospect of another huge payday in a second fight with Pacquiao.
It has been widely discussed ahead of the Filipino’s meeting with Broner that if Pacquiao wins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, it will open the door for a rematch.
Indeed, Broner expressed his exasperation with the topic in the build-up to Saturday’s clash, per BBC Sport:
“People are talking a lot about Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again, but I’m pretty sure Floyd is retired.
“I feel like people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me.
“Look at my last five fights. I’ve fought world champion after world champion. I don’t duck any fights. I don’t care how many weight classes he’s won titles in.
“I’m not in awe of any fighter, especially Manny Pacquiao. I hope he’s in awe of me. I’m a one-of-a-kind fighter too. I’ve made history in this sport. I’m going to beat him up and have a drink with him afterward.”
