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Home » Mayweather, Pacquiao meet in Japan “something will happen”

Mayweather, Pacquiao meet in Japan “something will happen”

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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao posed for pictures in Japan ahead of the RIZIN 38 card this weekend.

As WBN said many times, Mayweather continually fighting in exhibitions leaves the door ajar for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

Will Floyd Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao again?

Mayweather has teased Pacquiao with a potential rematch since 2016, and WBN believes there’s still a chance it can happen in 2023.

Conor McGregor ruling himself out of a rematch with Floyd when Mayweather said it was on for next year leaves Pacquiao in a great position.

RIZIN boss Nobu Sakakibara has since teased fans by sharing an image of the pair side-by-side in Tokyo.

“Pacquiao came to Japan for tomorrow’s tournament! They say it’s to support the future,” said Sakakibara.

“Unexpectedly, Mayweather and Pacquiao will face each other at RIZIN tomorrow. Something is going to happen,” he added.

Due to the exhibition revival of late, Mayweather and Pacquiao could trade blows again in what would be a massive money-spinner for both.

The proof is in the pudding. If Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. can earn over one million views in their fifties, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao can easily do around two million in their forties.

This fact alone suggests we will see another installment despite Mayweather’s desire to torment Pacquiao with the possibility.

First fight

Boxing legend Mayweather, a world champion in five weight classes, humbled Pacquiao in a contest that failed to live up to the hype in May 2015. Calls for a second helping were met with groans by skeptical fans.

Bouts with Terence Crawford, Danny Garcia, and Adrien Broner were touted for “Pac-Man” at the time, although the end game has always been Mayweather II.

Freddie Roach discussed a possible retirement after the Mayweather loss in 2016 when speaking to Jenna J of On the Ropes.

He intimated that Pacquiao was only staying in boxing to fight his nemesis again.

“That’s probably the only reason we’re staying in the game because we want a rematch with Floyd Mayweather. We want to get that,” Roach said to Jenna J.

“Mayweather has been to my gym a couple of times. I saw him at a restaurant in LA one time. He took pictures with my friends and was very polite and amiable.

“He told me he hadn’t trained a day since he retired. I said, “Hey, I thought you were a gym rat. You’re always in the gym.” – He said: “I haven’t worked out a day since I retired.

“I told him, ‘There are still some big fights for you.’ But I didn’t ask him about Manny at all. I don’t know the real reason why he’s coming by to visit.

“He doesn’t want me to be his trainer. I don’t think. But I thought maybe it was for him and Manny to get together one more time.

Mayweather rematch

“I know Manny wants the rematch bad. Manny thought he won the first fight. If you look at it with no commentating, you watch and see him landing more punches.

“I still was a little disappointed in Manny‘s performance. But now he’s one hundred percent. I think that he will destroy him at one hundred percent capacity,” he added.

Mayweather battered a hapless Don Moore around the ring in Abu Dhabi in May. He now battles Mikuru Asakura at RIZIN 38.

Legendary eight-weight champion Pacquiao will be ringside to watch Mayweather take on a kickboxer fighter. Hopefully, the two superstars will begin negotiations. Both have exhibitions lined up until January or February next year.

Pacquiao fights DK Yoo in December and Jaber Zayani two months later.

Spring in Las Vegas

A fight could happen in the spring or summer of 2023, certainly between April and July in the United States.

Meanwhile, the unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021 ended Pacquiao’s professional career. The oldest winner of a welterweight title was due to fight Errol Spence for the WBC and IBF belt. That fell through at the last minute.

A defeat in the Philippines Presidential election, as predicted by WBN, sent him to the exhibition circuit.

That’s where Floyd Mayweather comes in again and leaves at least another few years on the table for a return bout, possibly in Las Vegas.

Maybe sooner rather than later.

The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.

WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.