Pacquiao: Mayweather and I 'owe' fans a rematch
Fans could soon get a second helping of "The Fight of the Century."
Manny Pacquiao made a triumphant return to the ring Saturday after a seven-month retirement to win the WBO welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas. While much of the post-fight talk centered on Pacquiao's throwback performance, it was impossible to ignore the presence of fellow boxing megastar Floyd Mayweather at ringside.
Mayweather was reportedly invited to watch the fight by none other than Pacquiao himself, perhaps in an attempt to drum up interest in a rematch of their May 2015 bout that broke box office records despite falling flat with fans and critics. That fight resulted in a unanimous decision loss for Pacquiao, who was revealed to have been competing with an undisclosed shoulder injury.
On Sunday, Pacquiao said he and Mayweather must run it back for the sake of those who were disappointed in their first meeting, according to Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail.
"If we fight again I will do everything in my power to win back the trust of the fans," Pacquiao said. "They would not be disappointed again if it happens. I promise to make sure they love it. That is what we owe them."
The 37-year-old boxer put his money where his mouth is for the Vargas bout, spending nearly $2 million to buy seats for fans at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. An active politician in the Philippines, Pacquiao became the first Senator to win a world title and he's doing everything in his power to renew interest in his fighting career.
"My most important contract is the one I have with the fans," Pacquiao said. "The money is not as important as accomplishment, honor and giving excitement to the fans."
With the Mayweather bout on his mind and a possible clash with light welterweight champion Terence Crawford in play, it looks like "Pac-Man" is serious about continuing his boxing career for another few years.
"I can't say I will definitely be fighting at 40," Pacquiao said. "But others have proved it is possible. It depends on your dedication and how you look after your body. We found a way to do that by working all day in the Senate and then training at night.
"It requires discipline and time management and we have established the pattern which will enable me to fight on. In fact I feel better this morning than after many fights earlier in my career."
The ball is in Mayweather's court now. Mayweather has teased coming out of his own retirement, but hasn't competed since defeating Andre Berto in September 2015.