BY EDDIE G. ALINEA
SAN FRANCISCO: Upon Manny Pacquiao’s victory over erstwhile unbeaten Keith Thurman where the Filipino ring icon proved that at age 40, he is still capable of holding his own against younger opponent, a lot of talk about a potential rematch between him and Floyd Mayweather Jr. immediately followed.
A debate on whether a Pacquiao-Mayweather II would happen spread like wildfire. Many think it would and many, too, believe it won’t. But with the way the two fighters have been going back and forth on social media, it’s fair to speculate they’re both open to it.
In a lengthy post on Instagram early this week, Mayweather lashed at people for bringing up his name every time something happens with Pacquiao as if the latter’s “entire legacy and career has been built off its association with my name” and that it is time for people to stop using his name as “clickbait” for the now Filipino senator.
Pacquiao, naturally, disputed this. He fired back saying Mayweather attended his fight against Thurman as if to mean he is agreeable giving him a rematch if only to be relevant again.
Floyd responded stating he only attended the fight because Pacquiao is his “employee” and he had to supervise. He also mocked PacMan for making the same amount of money against Thurman that Mayweather made recently for a meaningless exhibition fight.
You may or you may not like Mayweather, but there’s no debating he is an excellent promoter. Most of what he does is calculated. Couldn’t be that he’s trying to gauge how much interest there is in a potential rematch?
There have been strong signs lately that, indeed, a rematch could be coming and that it would result in an astronomical payday for both fighters. Something that Floyd won’t be able to turn down.
Remember that Mayweather’s unanimous decision victory vs Pacquiao in “Super Fight I” generated something like more than $72 million at the box office gate, the highest
figure ever in boxing. Count the record 4.6 million people who watched the PPV event.
Remember, too, that Money Man reportedly made $250 million in that first fight, while Pacquiao brought home a career-high payday of more than $100 million.
Is this current word-war between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps their way of hyping up this early their potential second meeting?
One sports book had it that the odds of the Pacquiao- Mayweather II are 20/1. Still, Mayweather seems not sold to the idea of a rematch although he isn’t actually saying so.
With Pacquiao’s recent in-ring success plus the fact that Mayweather hasn’t fought a legitimate boxer in nearly four years, the ageless Filipino ring warrior cannot be installed the underdog in the potential wouldn’t be the underdog in the rematch.
Pacquiao won by only a split decision over “One Time.” Was that what Money Man is only waiting? An unimpressive triumph of Pacquiao to prevent him from erasing the zero in his immaculate 50-0 win-loss record?
It seems to look that way where your OUTSIDER sits. It all depends on if Mayweather feels another nine-figure payday is worth the potential loss of his undefeated record.
Time to say thank you to the Los Angeles Park Plaza Lodge Hotel management, headed by Ms. Melisa Kim and her All-Filipino reception desk crew for making the two-month stay of Team Pacquiao members a memorable one.
Heartfelt thanks, too, to Marvin Somodio for providing the media team the needed transport all throughout Pacquiao’s two-month training stint in LA.
Also to my favorite pamangkin Beng, Ms. June Rafael and son Benny, Ate Remy, another pamangkin Cynthia and Don and Rosemary Veridiano for giving us shelter while in San Francisco.
Thanks, too, to fellow Philippines Today columnist Art Madlaing for bringing me to historic Cliff House inside the Golden Bridge Park where we dine at the famous Cliff House.