More than half of the stories that had something to do with the just-concluded Pacquaio-Vargas fight were all about a possible rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Pacquiao’s victory made him the first sitting senator in history to win a world title in boxing and his popularity is soaring again by the minute.
Speculations of rematch were fueled by the presence of Mayweather at ringside of the Pacquiao-Vargas fight last Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Mayweather did not talk about the possible rematch, his presence says it all.
With the huge windfall that the fight will bring to the two richest boxers in the world, the rematch proposition is now almost a reality.
Pacquiao lost to Mayweather last year in a 12-round title fight that generated more that $500 million in revenues, making it the richest boxing fight in the history of the sport.
There are persistent talks that the second fight will materialize because it is the only boxing fight that is expected to generate at least half of the the revenues generated in their first encounter last year.
Half of the revenues they both have generated would still be huge considering that no one in the present rank of elite fighters can match the drawing capability of Mayweather and Pacquiao.
With the fans saying the rematch is almost done, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said a Pacquiao victory in the second fight could eventually lead to a trilogy.”
“We’re here to get Mayweather back one more time. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m not sure if Manny is on the same base with me right now, but I’m pretty sure he is. It’s still the biggest fight in the world. The things is, whatever we have to do to get him in the ring – we have to do,” Roach said.
When asked if it would be Pacquiao’s farewell fight assuming the proposed rematch will push trough, Roach said if Pacquiao is victorious in the second match, it could lead to a trilogy down the road.
“I’d like to say yes but I can’t guarantee that, because I’m not Manny. He will talk to me about it. We will have a long discussion about it, and I don’t think that there really is anything left. He’s done everything. We might have to fight one more time, because if we beat him the second time we might have to fight the trilogy,” Roach added.
Still, promoter Bob Arum isn’t swayed by persistent rematch talks, saying as far as he knows, Mayweather is retired and as long as long as he does not make an official announcement of his return, there will be no rematch to pursue.
