Boxing fans don’t seem interested in seeing Floyd Mayweather come out of retirement for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao: “The 1st fight was awful”
After coming face-to-face in Japan on Friday, Floyd Mayweather said on Instagram that he’s going to come out of retirement to fight Manny Pacquiao for a second time. But the prospect of a rematch of the two fighters’ record-breaking — but panned — 2015 fight left many boxing fans on social media feeling apathetic at best.
Three years ago, Pacquiao and Mayweather went head-to-head in Las Vegas, fulfilling boxing fans’ dreams of the matchup as the two rose to the top of the sport. The fight earned a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, each sold at a record $100.
But the fight itself was largely panned in the boxing community and is regarded as one of the sport’s biggest duds. Mayweather won the fight easily by unanimous decision, while Pacquiao landed only 81 punches in a match that was criticized for not having enough action.
Mayweather, meanwhile, was accused by fans of dodging Pacquiao in his prime, as the then 37-year-old boxer had lost the WBO Welterweight title and his 15-match winning streak three years prior, followed a few months later by a knockout defeat to Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez. Nevertheless, the fight was a huge payday for Mayweather, earning him $300 million. In 2017, Mayweather then came out of retirement and improved his record to 50-0 with a win over former UFC champion Conor McGregor that was better received and earned him an additional $200 million.
Now Mayweather wants another go at Pacquiao, who won the WBA Welterweight Title last month with the 60th victory of his career. Mayweather called the fight “another 9 figure pay day on my way,” but fan reaction to news of such a fight thus far is tepid.
