This was revealed by Manny Pacquiao’s former sparring mate Shawn Porter, who is set to face Keith Thurman on March 12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville in Connecticut for the WBA welterweight title.
Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs), served as one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners in a training camp held in the Philippines leading up to the Cotto fight in 2009.
In a recent interview by Jenna J of ontheropesboxing.com, Porter said he doesn’t think Mayweather is retired saying he will come back once more to break Rocky Marciano’s record which the unbeaten champ had already tied at 49.
“I don’t think he’s retired. I’ve heard things about him coming back once more, but only once more. He’s tied the record and he’s trying to break the record, but at the same time, I think he’s gonna watch this fight and whatever happens between Keith and I, and if he feels like he can beat one of us, he’ll come back,” Porter said.
“I think if he doesn’t feel like he can beat one of us, he won’t come back. We’ll see what happens, I feel like March 12th is a very deciding factor for not only the rest of 2016 but also the years to come,” he added.
The 28-year-old fighter from Ohio was unbeaten in 26 fights since turning pro in 2008 when he lost via a majority decision against Kell Brook in August 2014 at the StubHub Center in Carlson, California.
Since his lone loss to Brook, Porter bounced back with two straight wins against Erick Bone which he won via KO in March last year and a unanimous decision victory over Adrien Broner in June at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.