Manny Pacquiao not ruling out rematch with Mayweather ahead of Broner fight
Ready for the Fight of the Century Round II? It may not be far off.
Ahead of Manny Pacquiao's title defending fight of his 147-pound belt against former four-division titlist Adrien Broner January 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) would not rule out the possibility of a rematch with Floyd Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs).
In the above video, the 40-year-old Filipino senator says he is focusing on the fight at hand against Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs), but did not reject any idea of a second shot at Mayweather.
The two goliaths of the boxing world came together courtside at the Los Angeles Clippers game Tuesday where Pacquiao was the guest of honor on Filipino-Heritage Night. During a commercial break, Pacquiao was throwing out t-shirts to the crowd when he approached Mayweather-- who was also sitting courtside-- and dapped him up. Mayweather smiled and laughed at the situation, while a member of his group gave a serious glare.
https://twitter.com/FoxSportsWest/status/1082861356712308736
The handshake sparked memories of when the pair exchanged numbers after a Miami Heat game in 2015. That meeting was said to have been crucial in getting their first fight agreed to after years of failed negotiations between their teams.
While the rematch with Mayweather remains speculation at this point, the imminent title fight with Broner is anything but.
In preparation of the showdown, Pacquiao has reunited with legendary trainer Freddie Roach, who was not in Pacquiao's corner in his last fight in Malaysia where he won by KO for the first time in nearly nine years.
Despite not getting the invitation to join his fighter before, Roach assures there is no hard feelings ahead of the late-January fight: "That's water under the bridge."
If Pacquiao is able to successfully defend his title in Vegas, a rematch that draws Mayweather out of retirement may be the next step to completing his illustrious career.
