Floyd Mayweather is reportedly in talks for a rematch with future hall-of-famer Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next year, eight years on from their much anticipated bout in May 2015 which also took place in ‘Sin City’.
The Sun reports that Global Titans, who are promoting Mayweather’s next exhibition fight in Dubai, are in talks with both parties for the fight. Their CEO Uday Singh told SunSport:
“We’re working on Floyd and Manny Pacquiao already.
An announcement could be made as early as December for a big bout next year between Floyd and Manny Pacquiao. A rematch, not an exhibition.”
Despite doing his lucrative exhibitions, most notably fighting YouTuber Logan Paul at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in June 2021, ‘Money’ Mayweather has played down putting his prestigious 50-0 record on the line. Singh also revealed:
“I’ve already had the first meeting with Manny Pacquiao, because at first he was not keen either.
He [Mayweather] knows he’s got three to four years left of his career as and when he wants to retire, so he agreed to it eventually.
Then we went out and spoke to Manny Pacquiao’s team and they said, ‘Yep, it’s fine. Manny Pacquiao is ready.’
Now we’re negotiating numbers and all of that.”
2020 Hall of Fame inductee Mayweather has been professionally retired since 2017, after he won out in his cross-platform superfight against UFC two-weight champion Conor McGregor, stopping the Irishman in the tenth round.
Pacquiao retired last August after losing his WBA world welterweight title to Yodenis Ugás via unanimous decision, with his incredible career finalising with a record of 62-8-2 (39 KOs).
Singh described that Mayweather had changed his mind on the potential remtach after the two met:
“It’s just egos, nothing else, but at the end of the day, Floyd’s a good guy, he’s a good fighter. Once you’ve satisfied him with his purse, he’s happy to fight whoever. But it’s to his interest as well, he said, ‘Why not? Let’s do it.’
He hasn’t had a real proper fight since 2017, the last one was with Conor McGregor”