Floyd Mayweather To Fight Again, Just Not Against Anyone You Want to See

maypac-fukuda2

Once again, Floyd Mayweather is in the news. The polarizing pugilist is reportedly stepping back into the boxing ring for another return. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be against the one fighter that the sports world is clamoring for – Manny Pacquiao.

Instead, Mayweather is going to China in 2020 to take on an unnamed Chinese boxer in an exhibition contest. For those that recall, Mayweather had an exhibition fight in Japan on New Year’s Eve and came away with a $9 million dollar payday for less than three minutes of work. It appears that Floyd is open to another financial opportunity of this manner.

With his return to China unofficially set for 2020, there’s a chance that things could fall apart before then. On the flip side, the eternal optimists are hoping this is a tune-up for a rematch with Pacquiao.

Will Mayweather Fight Pacquiao Again?

Boxing betting sites seem to think ‘Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2’ will happen as they’re still accepting wagers on a potential rematch. At the very least, they’re hoping this fight will occur because there will be a lot of action. Currently, MyBookie has Mayweather listed as a -260 betting favorite, while Pacquiao is a +200 underdog.

These odds are a bit surprising considering Pacquiao has remained active against top level competition and Mayweather has been out of action since his New Year’s Eve exhibition. In fact, ESPN has Pacquiao ranked as the #9 pound for pound best fighter in the world due to his impressive win over Keith Thurman in July. Pacquiao won via split decision and captured the WBA welterweight title.

Mayweather may have a 50-0 record, but he hasn’t fought a professional boxer in four years. On that occasion, Mayweather defeated Andre Berto via unanimous decision. That was four months after he defeated Pacquiao in their May 2015 clash.

As for a rematch against Pacquiao, Mayweather has apparently squashed those chances:

“Basically, that’s an old video. At the end of the day, there’s no talks about me and Manny Pacquiao fighting a rematch. Even if we did fight, all they’re going to do is have an excuse, just like the first time,” said Floyd Mayweather to FightHype.com. “The first time, you know, he can raise his hand after the fight is over, then all of a sudden, his shoulder is messed up. Excuse after excuse, you know what I’m saying. A real champion, you know, he takes his wins like a man and he takes his losses like a man. But as far as me and Manny Pacquiao, as of right now, it will never be a rematch.”

In his own words, Floyd has shot down all hopes of a Pacquiao rematch. If they were to meet in early 2020, Mayweather would be 43 years old and Pacquiao would be 41 years old. With each passing birthday, it becomes even less likely that boxing fans around the world will get to see this rematch.

Is Floyd Really Heading to China?

Recent reports out of China, state that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will head over on September 18th for a press conference to announce a “fight” in China. For the country, it’s a lucrative attraction. For Mayweather, an exhibition fight is an easy payday.

As of now, the details aren’t 100% confirmed with Floyd according to the South China Morning Post. Additionally, they’re still looking for an opponent. Nevertheless, it’s hard to imagine Floyd not accepting a multi-million dollar payday for what essentially amounts to a glorified sparring session.

Are There Any Other Fight Opportunities for Floyd?

Many people would love to see Floyd step inside the octagon for a rematch with McGregor. These two fought inside a boxing ring two years ago and went 10 rounds before Mayweather won via TKO in the 10th. McGregor made more money in that fight than he has in any other venture other than his Proper 12 Irish Whiskey. Mayweather was his typical mega box office draw and their boxing match was a PPV hit.

With that said, there’s absolutely no way that Floyd would step inside the octagon to fight McGregor or any other UFC fighter. Well, maybe he would consider a fight against Phil Brooks, formerly known as CM Punk in the WWE. Brooks is technically still signed with the UFC, but has no fights lined up for his octagon future.

Speaking of the WWE, Floyd could always return for a “fight” inside the squared circle. Longtime Mayweather and WWE fans will recall that Floyd took on The Big Show at WresteMania XXIV in a “David vs Goliath” match. Mayweather won on “The Grandest Stage of them All” after knocking out The Big Show with brass knuckles and breaking his nose. It’s unlikely that anyone on the roster today would allow this to happen again.

More than likely, fight sports fans will have to accept that the only way we see Floyd Mayweather in another fight will be via international exhibitions.

Photo: Naoki Fukuda

All media inquiries can be sent to CRobinson@hustleboss.com

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *