Remember when everyone in combat sports wanted to see Floyd Mayweather box Manny Pacquiao?
Well, after watching Mayweather secure a hefty payday from his boxing match earlier this year with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, it would appear Pacquiao is interested in following “Money” to the bank.
“If we can negotiate it, I have no problem. It is OK with both of us,” Pacquiao said in an interview with AFP recently.
Pacquiao, who turns 39 later this month, said that there have been an initial discussion between the sides, “but we have not yet had any follow-up conversations.
After stepping away from the sport in 2016 after a win over Jessie Vargas, Pacquiao returned this past July to face Jeff Horn. He suffered a controversial decision loss, dropping his overall record to 59-7-2.
Pacquiao, a former eight-time world champion in different weight classes, added that any fight – with McGregor or someone else – would have to take place during an upcoming Senate recess, as he has been a member of the government in the Philippines since 2016
“It depends who they can finalize as my opponent by April,” Pacquiao said.
WBC super welterweight and WBC welterweight champion Keith Thurman was also mentioned as a possible opponent for Pacquiao, along with a rematch against Horn.
In 2015, Mayweather picked up a decision vs. Pacquiao in a bout that featured all the major welterweight titles.
Mayweather returned to the ring this past August to face McGregor, ending a two-year retirement. He earned a 10th round TKO victory, improving to 50-0 in his career.
As for McGregor, he has let it be known that his future is up in the air at this point. He has yet to defend the UFC lightweight title that he won with a victory over Eddie Alvarez. After the win, the UFC stripped him of the featherweight title that he never defended.