For the second time in as many months, Manny Pacquiao has stated publicly that he is still in negotiations with Floyd Mayweather concerning a rematch of their May 2 mega-millions fight, which Pacquiao lost via unanimous decision.
“I don’t know yet who’s my opponent next,? Pacquiao answered during a social media ?Ask me anything? feature, ?but we’re still negotiating right now about the rematch with Floyd Mayweather so [I?m] hoping for that.?
The first time Manny talked about rematch negotiations with Mayweather, he was quoted by a foreign news agency and promoter Bob Arum blew the claim off as merely the product of a language barrier misunderstanding. This time, when asked about yet another Pacquiao claim of negotiations, Arum went right back to the ?he not speak too good English? well, telling The Sweet Science website that no other explanation made sense because absolutely no talk is going on between the two sides.
Fighthype.com, which has the scoop on all things Mayweather, has also confirmed via unmentioned inside source that no negotiations on any level are taking place.
So, could it be that Pacquiao?s English is THAT bad?
If one were the cynical type, one could say that maybe Manny is trying to mislead the public in order to once again assume the ?hunter? persona in alleged pursuit of Mayweather. The illusion of being in perpetual pursuit of the villainous, cowardly Mayweather proved to be a public relations bonanza for the multi-division world champ, elevating his fame and earning power, while turning him into an iconic figure all throughout the world. Why not return to that strategy, at least for the last few months of his career, so he can walk away the hero despite having taken the ?L? in the actual fight?
It could also be possible that someone within Team Pacquiao?s inner circle is lying to him about rematch negotiations. It has often been alleged that Manny?s management team is not 100% forthcoming in telling him the absolute truth about what?s going on behind boardroom doors.
Or?
Maybe talks ARE going on and, for the sake of the promotion, secrecy has to be well-guarded. If there ever was an intention of having a rematch, the bad taste left after the first Mayweather-Pacquiao bout really killed any momentum. With a controversy surrounding Pacquiao?s shoulder injury and Mayweather?s decision to fight Andre Berto before ?retiring??not to mention the lack of action in the fight, itself?enough time will have to pass for fans to forget some of their outrage and for a good rematch scenario to be properly constructed. It?s at least plausible and, well, stranger things have happened in boxing, especially considering how much money would be on the table for even a tepidly-received Floyd-Manny Two.
Time will tell whether Pacquiao?s claims of rematch talks were slips of the tongue or just pure fantasy.
