Former welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather opens up possibility of coming out of retirement for Manny Pacquiao rematch

Former welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather said on Saturday that he was coming out of retirement for a 2018 rematch with Manny Pacquiao. [caption id=“attachment_5193901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Floyd Mayweather. Reuters[/caption] “I’m coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year,” Mayweather, 41, said on his Instagram account, adding, “another 9 figure pay day on the way.” An accompanying video showed the two fighters at a music festival in Tokyo but it was difficult to hear what they were saying. In a later video obtained by ESPN, Mayweather says, “Tokyo Japan here we go…. I’m coming back in December.” He added, “I’m going to take it (the belt) from him like I did before. We gonna get the payday and I don’t want no shoulder excuses.” A rematch had been speculated for years after the two met in a much hyped 2015 fight. Undefeated Mayweather scored a unanimous decision that earned him an estimated $220 million. Pacquiao later said he was hampered by a right shoulder injury. Mayweather was back in the ring in 2017, winning by a technical knockout over mixed martial arts world champion Conor McGregor to run his boxing record to 50-0. He earned a reported $300 million and McGregor took home $100 million in one of the richest fights in history. Pacquiao (60-7-2) last fought in July, knocking out Argentine Lucas Matthysse. Afterward, when asked about a rematch with Mayweather, the Filipino boxer said: “I have the belt, so it’s up to him. If he wants to come back in boxing let’s do a second one.”