Manny Pacquiao’s points victory in his comeback fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather has raised the possibility of a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, writes GRANT MILLER.
After his unanimous decision victory over Jessie Vargas, Pacquiao is now the WBO Welterweight champion again, and of course, rumours are spreading that he might have a rematch with Mayweather in the works.
Mayweather, 39, attended last weekend’s bout, but he didn’t say much indicating they had a fight coming up. For all we know, he just came to enjoy the match and go home. Pacquiao, 37, from the Phillipines, said he wasn’t thinking about the rematch with Mayweather either before his fight, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do it.
‘Not only for myself, but if the fans in boxing want that rematch, then why not?’ Pacquiao said. ‘We can easily talk about that. It’s not a problem.’
That would be a bad idea for Pac Man.
Pacquiao (59-6-2) is a legendary fighter, but he could never beat Mayweather even when they were both young. The fight he lost against Mayweather (49-0-0) came later in his career, but age wasn’t the main factor. Mayweather had also lost some of his athleticism to time, but he still caught Pacquiao with counter punches and right straights through his guard. These are the same punches the much slower Vargas landed with less accuracy than Mayweather but with enough success for Pacquiao to respect him. Vargas was welterweight champ for a reason, but he just doesn’t compare to Mayweather’s ring smarts and timing.
A rematch wouldn’t sell as much, if at all. Earning $600-million in revenue is unlikely to happen twice even if people enjoyed the first fight. Forget about a repeat if they didn’t. Many of those who watched their bout 18 months ago are still furious at the ‘boring’ night they paid for because they want fights like Pacquiao and Vargas’: lots of combinations, trading punches and concussion risk.
That’s not how Mayweather fights. He baits you into a punch, counters it, and moves away. He waits for an opening, strikes, and holds to prevent retaliation. He sometimes lets his opponents punch themselves out as he blocks with his Michigan Defence. There was a point when Mayweather would stand in the pocket and bang with his opponents, but as he got older, smarter, and tired of breaking his hands, he employed more defensive responsibility and selective punching without wasted movement. Sure he can bang with the likes of Miguel Cotto or get rough with Ricky Hatton, but he would rather dissect his opponent like he did Canelo Alvarez because he’s a devout practitioner of hitting without getting hit.
Mayweather the dissecter beat Pacquiao last time, and he’ll be there when they fight again. He’ll wait for an opening that Pacquiao is sure to give, sting him, and move out of the way before he counters. If he gets caught in the corner, he’ll clinch Pacquiao before he can get going. Pacquiao is too good not to land a few good shots, but Mayweather will mostly stifle him and dictate the pace. Many will find it boring and say he ran and hugged too much, assuming the fight sells enough for them to form an opinion.
A rematch is a bad idea for Pacquiao, but not so bad for Mayweather. It’s a chance for him to gain 50 wins, and he likely would should he decide to come out of retirement and fight once more.
