Floyd Mayweather’s willingness to face Manny Pacquiao in a rematch a smart move

Floyd Mayweather following his victory over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

The conclusion to the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout this past Saturday night was as clear as could be, with Floyd winning by a solid margin. The scores came out to be 118-110 and 116-112, and 116-112.

The fight neither looked close, nor did it ever suggest the need for a rematch. As a matter of fact, Mayweather  himself stated that a second fight is not necessary. It would be difficult to disagree with this, especially after so many people have voiced their annoyance of the fight itself being so lackluster and monotone, as many of Mayweather’s fights tend to be.

This fight, the drama, and all the speculation was done and sealed as the night came to a close. The winner was clear, and the future dictated one more fight for Mayweather against another challenger, followed by retirement.

The post fight press conference tore through this seal when Pacquiao announced that he fought with an injured shoulder, as he attempted away some of the credibility from Mayweather’s victory. While this statement created a monster wave of commotion and speculation, most assumed that Mayweather Jr. wasn’t going to bite, and will bask in glory as his job was done and the everlasting criticism put to rest.

That is until ESPN’s Stephen Smith received a text message from Mayweather, stating the following: “I will fight him in a year after his surgery.”

This is something that neither you, nor I, nor Mr. Smith saw coming. At least not like this. It can’t be that easy.

This is not just a text message, but instead is a very powerful and direct statement that Mayweather is making. Essentially Mayweather is willing to prove that he did beat the same Manny Pacquiao that all had expected him to lose to, and if team Pacquiao are blaming Manny’s performance on the injured shoulder, Floyd is prepared to prove that the outcome will always be the same.

A very smart move on his part. Not only will he be cashing another colossal paycheck for a not-so-difficult night’s work, but his claim to be TBE will have a little more substance.

Vitali Shaposhnikov can be reached at vitalifightpress@gmail.com

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