That pool is accumulating at record pace but the open speculation about a rematch, even before the original, fell silent after Mayweather’s unanimous decision victory at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Pacquiao’s shoulder injury could present one stumbling block to a rematch.
“Floyd says he’s going to fight in September and we certainly won’t be ready to fight in September,” Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum said. “That, you can go to sleep on. That’s an impossibility, as far as September is concerned.”
Another problem was the fight itself, which was a tactical matchup that favored Mayweather’s boxing skill with little of Pacquiao’s brawling and combination punching.
Arum said the first U.S. domestic pay-per-view returns should be available Tuesday, but will be “far, far, far in excess of 3 million.”
The record is 2.45 million for Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
“I mean, the number it might be, you’d look at me like I’m crazy, but I’m not,” Arum said. “That’s why I’m not going to say it.”
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said it was a “very close fight, we’d love to do it again.”
Probably not many who watched the first fight share that sentiment.
“It ain’t necessary to do it again because the same thing will happen,” Floyd Mayweather Sr., who trains his son, said.
Beyond the potential overall lack of desire and need for a rematch, Mayweather has said he plans to discard all of his five current championships in two weight divisions and fight an up-and-comer in a September fight, perhaps his career finale.
That isn’t a move that portends pursuing a Pacquiao rematch.
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, noted that neither side seemed too anxious to discuss rematch, save for Roach.
“It was epic,” Ellerbe said of his side’s victory. “It’s been a long camp. From the physical side to the business side. I’m just glad this stuff is over with.”
Courtesy of David Mayo of mlive.com. Follow David on Twitter @David_Mayo