Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are once again trading verbal jabs on social media and not a few believe that it is meant to set the stage for the sequel to their May 2015 megabuck fight.
Mayweather was at ringside when Pacquiao turned back the clock and hammered out a convincing decision win over Keith Thurman for the WBA ?super? welterweight championship. Mayweather left his seat before the decision was announced to avoid reporters who were expected to grill him on the possibility of a return bout with Pacquiao.
Then again, it did not take Mayweather that long to verbally open fire at Pacquiao. Just a few days after the bout, Mayweather posted on social media that Pacquiao?s career ?has been built off his association with my name.?
Pacquiao fired back, urging Mayweather to fight him again ?if you (Mayweather) want to be relevant again.?
Oh, Mayweather was not finished and answered back, claiming that the $10 million guarantee Pacquiao received for the Thurman fight was nothing compared to the $9 million he made in under three minutes ?in an exhibition with a pizza delivery guy (Japanese Tenshin Nasukawa).?
It is utterly embarrassing to have two ?senior? citizens in boxing taking their fight to social media instead of the squared circle. If the boxers really want to meet again, they can simply affix their signatures on a contract.
Then again, there is a reason why Pacquiao and Mayweather have been trading acerbic words. The primary reason is to stimulate public interest in a rematch. Their first meeting four years ago went down in the record books as the richest fight in boxing history, with both boxers earning in excess of $100 million. However, the fight was a huge disappointment as Mayweather simply waltzed his way to a decision win against an injured Pacquiao. For all the big money the fans shelled out, the fight was a dud.
Truth be told, there is very little interest in a rematch. Pacquiao and Mayweather are both past their prime and their styles do not appear to jive. In the first match, Mayweather predictably stayed on the defensive and refused to engage Pacquiao up close. In the minds of many, the rematch will just offer the same scenario.
However, you can sense that the camps of Pacquiao and Mayweather want to bring the rematch into fruition because of the tons of money it stands to rake in. The rematch is not expected to top the record revenues of the first bout, but it will still make a lot of money.
Pacquiao is raring to go and the win over Thurman showed that he still has a lot of firepower left. From where this writer sits, the only thing holding Mayweather back is his fear of tarnishing his pristine
50-0 record. If there is no perfect record to preserve, Mayweather would not think twice about lacing on the gloves again.
Mayweather, however, may find himself pinned against the ropes. The last two fights of Mayweather came against adversaries who had virtually zero pro boxing experience (mixed martial arts stars Conor McGregor and Tenshin Nasukawa, the latter fight being a mere exhibition foe). If Mayweather decides to return and pick on another ?pizza delivery boy? instead of Pacquiao, he?d be a laughing stock. In his last two fights, a 40-year-old Pacquiao convincingly defeated a former four-division champ (Adrien Broner) and an unbeaten champ (Thurman) who was considered the best welterweight just two years ago.
Mayweather has been insisting that he is retired, but his actions suggest otherwise. Last September, Mayweather posted on Instagram that he?s ?coming back to fight Pacquiao? for another nine-figure payday. The rematch did not materialize.
Just last Saturday, Mayweather was again asked about the rematch. Instead of reiterating that he is retired, Mayweather replied: ?We don?t know? only time will tell.?
Note that Mayweather is no longer that committed to his ?I am retired? template. The 42-year-old former champion has opened the door a bit.
A Pacquiao-Mayweather return bout is also easier to make these days considering that Pacquiao is no longer associated with Top Rank Promotions. Pacquiao is now co-promoted by Al Haymon?s Premier Boxing Champions. Haymon is well known as one of Mayweather?s closest confidants.
It all boils down to public interest. If the verbal exchanges trigger public clamor, you can sense that Mayweather and Pacquiao will get it on because such clamor translates to truckloads of dough.
