FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images

Manny Pacquiao to Confirm Next Fight 'This Week' Amid Floyd Mayweather Rumours

Matt Jones

Manny Pacquiao has said he will finalise the details of his next fight "this week" amid speculation he is set for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The duo met in 2015 in one of the most highly anticipated fights boxing has ever seen, with Mayweather coming out as an eventual winner in a points victory.

Despite Mayweather's retirement from the sport, Pacquiao has hinted he may be set for another return when speaking to reporters in the Philippines, per ESPN.

"We will finalise the fight this week, either Mayweather or somebody else, where and when, what date," said Pacman.

On Monday, the man known as Money posted the following message on his Twitter account suggesting he is poised to return to the ring for a mega payday:

According to Ring Magazine (h/t ESPN), December 1 and December 8 in 2018 are being considered as possible dates for the rematch, with an announcement to potentially be made this week.

Mayweather has fought twice since that victory, beating Andre Berto in a lopsided points win before meeting UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor a year ago—the boxer stopped the MMA star in the 10th round of that contest.

That win extended Mayweather's perfect professional boxing record to 50 wins from 50 bouts, and it was anticipated he would permanently retire from the sport from that point. However, he's fuelled rumours about a possible return with his social media activity.

When the duo fought previously there was plenty of buzz. Despite both arguably being past their best at the time, the pair are considered two of the finest fighters of their generation, and the prospect of them duelling was something discussed for so long.

However, Mayweather is 41 and Pacquiao is 39, meaning the appetite for a second showdown may not be there among both boxing fanatics and casual sports fans.

Sportsnet's Sid Seixeiro isn't excited by the prospect of a second scrap between the veterans:

Meanwhile, Aaron J. Fentress of NBC Sports said he would rather see Mayweather face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez following his win over Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night:

Pacquiao has been much more active than Mayweather since their 2015 meeting, despite suffering a torn rotator cuff in the contest. In the years following, he's beaten Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas and most recently stopped Lucas Matthysse; he did suffer a shock loss against Jeff Horn in July 2017, though.

Amir Khan called out Pacquiao after his victory over Samuel Vargas, although it appears the Filipino will seek vengeance on his longstanding rival instead of taking on the Briton.

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)