Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reportedly said he'd be willing to give Manny Pacquiao a rematch after defeating his nemesis on Saturday May 2 in the highest-grossing fight in boxing history. Following his victory over Pacquiao, Mayweather said he'd fight once more in September to fulfill his contract with Showtime and hang up the gloves.
Not long after that, he texted ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and said "I will fight him in a year after his surgery."
The fight itself was widely considered a disappointment by fans and media. Pacquiao, billed as a ball of fury, speed and power, actually threw fewer punches over the 12 rounds than Mayweather did and connected at a putrid 18 percent rate. Then, in the post-fight presser, he admitted he had fought with an injured shoulder and was denied a painkiller shot before the bout. Yesterday, it was revealed Pacquiao had a torn rotator cuff and will require surgery that may keep him out of the ring for a year.
If Mayweather fights in September as planned and wins, his record will improve to 49-0. He will have finished out his contract, and in all likelihood will retire with the same record as Rocky Marciano. The highest-paid athlete in the world will head off into the sunset, hardly beloved but begrudgingly respected.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao will recover from his surgery and likely return to the ring a diminished, but still exciting draw. Depending on the length of his layoff, he'll likely take a tune-up fight within a few months of healing up. Then, he will begin talking about how Mayweather beat a lesser version of him that wasn't able to overwhelm with activity because of the pain in his shoulder.
Mayweather will heelishly play coy, until the masses are whipped up into another frenzy, finally buying in that Pacquiao was not himself the night of boxing's biggest fight ever. And then he will come out of retirement for one last fight, against a fellow legend, finally healthy, for the chance to surpass the great Marciano.
Per ESPN, the MGM Grand plans on opening a new arena in 2016 that will be ready right around the 60th anniversary of Marciano's retirement. The only question is whether or not the public can be convinced to trust these two again.
[ESPN]
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