Manny Pacquiao has a big 2024 ahead of him, and he’s hoping to make it even bigger with a rematch against Floyd Mayweather.
Pacquiao and Mayweather fought back in 2015, with Mayweather taking a unanimous decision win. Pacquiao would later reveal he went into the fight with a serious shoulder injury, leaving fans wondering how things would have gone if “Pac-Man” had been 100% healthy.
Maybe we’ll get a chance to find out, if RIZIN Fighting Federation can pull the match-up together. Mayweather has competed twice for the Japanese combat sports promotion, and Pacquiao was on hand at their big RIZIN 45 NYE event to announce the bout … or at least the hope that a bout can be made?
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara brought Manny into the ring and asked him “Could you please fight against Floyd Mayweather?”
“Thank you so much for inviting me here again,” Pacquiao replied. “I’m sorry for the last time, we meant to fight last year as Mr. Sakakibara explained. Next year I hope to see you here in Japan for a big fight against … Floyd Mayweather! I thought you wouldn’t want me to [announce] that. But I am excited for that.”
It’s unclear how far along negotiations are for a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather rematch. As the biggest pay-per-view in the history of combat sports, you know the money is gonna have to be good to make this happen. And it would be a massive step up in opponent quality for Floyd Mayweather, who’s been fighting mostly YouTubers and Influencers on his post-retirement exhibition tour.
Even if it comes together, this wouldn’t be next up for either boxer. Mayweather is set to rematch John Gotti III in February, while Pacquiao has a fight against Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek in April.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
