Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is still on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery for his injured right shoulder while Floyd Mayweather Jr. is all set to fight in September.
Last May 2, Mayweather won via unanimous decision over Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a fight that left many disappointed. Many felt that Mayweather played it too safe, running and being more on the defensive to make it difficult for Pacquiao to connect on his flurry of punches. The undefeated American boxer however got some sort of reprieve when Pacquiao drew criticism for fighting with an injury, something traced to the fact that the usually aggressive boxer threw lesser punches than Mayweather.
As far as rematch is concerned, the thought of it is in the air. However, it may remain that way at least for the rest of the year since Mayweather had emphasized that he has no plans of giving the Filipino boxer a rematch after his injury claims.
Alex Ariza, a former Pacquiao ally, points out that there is no point of having a second fight if Pacquiao has the same old crew on his end. But would a change make it possible for a Mayweather-Pacquiao 2?
Though Ariza did not directly say that a rematch could materialize if Pacquiao dumps his promoter, trainer and crew, he believes that it would be the best option for Pacquiao at this stage of his career. Pacquiao, now 36, could be at the twilight of his career and could be primed up for retirement soon. He has done almost everything except to defeat Mayweather but all that may hardly matter considering he is the first and only eight-division world champion.
Pacquiao has the option to retire though critics believe he may fight one or two more before calling it quits. It remains to be seen if Mayweather would be one of those planned fights. For now, there is no telling if the two would get it on. Mayweather could hold true to his word to retire but a rematch next year is not discounted.
After the first meeting amassed a record revenue of more than $400 million, Mayweather could consider one last fight and rack in more money on his (and Pacquiao’s) end. But the question now is on whether fans would want to see the rematch and if it could drive in the same revenues.