Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum trusts that the 37-year-old professional boxer and senator, Manny Pacquiao will be fighting in the spring, while believing that a rematch between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather is very likely to happen. Furthermore, Mayweather's unexpected appearance during Pacquiao's latest fight against Jessie Vargas gives boxing fans more reason to believe that a Pacquiao-Mayweather 2 could soon be happening.
Arum tells ESPN that negotiating a rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather would not take as long as it did the first bout since the animosity present before the first one is gone. Since then, Arum has settled a $100 million antitrust lawsuit which he filed against Mayweather's adviser, Al Haymon.
Bob Arum says a Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch is "likely."
Would you watch them fight again?https://t.co/iOGtzQIEY4
— ESPN (@espn) November 8, 2016
Mayweather said he was present during the bout because he was taking his daughter to a fight. However, according to Bad Left Hook, this is hard to believe since it is very unusual for Mayweather to attend boxing matches in which he is not participating in or promoting.
Arum further says that he does not know if the fight is actually going to happen nor if Mayweather is willing to fight. He added that all he knows is nothing more than what the fans already know.
After the Pacquiao-Vargas fight, Pacquiao climbed the ring post with the belt over his shoulder, and gave Mayweather a smile. The latter then replied by giving the victorious Pacquiao a thumbs-up. Although this does not confirm a rematch, Arum believes that the gesture indicates that the tension between the two camps is gone.
Leading up to his recent fight against Vargas, Pacquiao said he is uncertain if he will continue boxing given his very busy schedule as a senator in the Philippines. However, so far after the fight, Pacquiao made no mention of a retirement from boxing.
Arum is not certain if Mayweather is going to return from retirement, but Arum adds that Haymon told him that a Mayweather comeback is probable, as per ESPN. The two of them spoke a few months ago when Arum was in negotiations for Pacquiao to fight against Adrien Broner, who is a client of Haymon. Eventually, Broner did not agree to fight Pacquiao, so Vargas was ended up being Pacquiao's opponent instead.
