A return to the ring for Manny Pacquiao would not be complete without talk of him rematching Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Filipino returns against Mario Barrios at 46 years old to compete for the WBC welterweight title on July 19th.
Other long-time rivals have spoken out in favour of ‘PacMan’, including Juan Manuel Marquez, who predicts Pacquiao becoming the champion.
Even the uncle of Floyd Mayweather sees a convincing win over Barrios when the two collide, even with the rumour of a return for the undefeated professional.
Manny Pacquiao believes Floyd Mayweather is ‘ducking’ him – rules out exhibition fight
Mayweather Jr has been hitting the headlines for this fight as rumours surface over a potential rematch of their fight from 10 years ago.
Now the eight-division world champion has responded to these rumours in an interview with Ariel Helwani, he said: “He has been ducking me. I don’t want an exhibition, I want a real fight.
“Of course, (I would be interested in fighting Mayweather), I don’t know if it will happen by the end of the year, but he will see.
“But he has been ducking and avoiding me. Let’s focus on this Saturday, I have business to take care of.”
Mayweather was last seen in the professional boxing ring against Conor McGregor in their 2017 mega-fight.
Since then, he has competed in exhibition bouts against the likes of YouTubers Logan Paul and Deji Olatunji.
While the bout may be big on nostalgia, if he wants to end his career fighting the best, Pacquiao should instead target former undisputed champion Devin Haney.
Manny Pacquiao weighs in on Floyd Mayweather vs Roy Jones Jr debate – ‘he would KO him’
But clearly, nostalgia is the talk of the boxing world as the 50-0 great has himself been caught up in a back-and-forth with Roy Jones Jr.
The two have exchanged callouts and insults over social media as legends weigh in on the situation daily.
‘Pac’ has also been questioned on the potential of a fight between the pair and he gave his verdict in a media scrum.
“Roy Jones, a prime Roy Jones, you know Roy Jones, right?” he laughed.
“(Would he KO him) I think so.”
While the bout would not be likely to happen even under exhibition rules, it has certainly got fight fans talking once again about ‘Money’ May.
Now, attention will rightly turn back to the man competing to become one of the oldest world champions in boxing history as one of the more intriguing fights of the weekend edges closer.