With Manny Pacquiao revealing that he will be open to a possible rematch against Floyd Mayweather in the near future, promoter Bob Arum has fueled speculations by saying there is a 75% chance the Filipino pugilist will take on the American star in his next fight.
Notably, Mayweather watched Pacquiao overpower his compatriot Jessie Vargas and clinch the WBO welterweight title after coming back from retirement, from the ringside at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas.
While Pacquiao is likely to take on Terence Crawford for the super-lightweight title or Vasyl Lomachenko for the super-featherweight champion in his next fight, speculations are rife about the rematch after Mayweather accepted the Filipino senator's invitation to watch him fight Vargas on Sunday.
The previous matchup between the two boxers, billed as the "Fight of the Century" was among the richest in boxing history as it reportedly grossed US$700m. Despite losing the contest by points to Mayweather, Pacquiao took home a reported $120m.
Arum revealed that Pacquiao will spend time away from the Philippines senate duties from March to May, 2017, which will be the ideal time for his next fight.
He also said that Mayweather's adviser Al Haymon had given positive information about the 39-year-old coming out of retirement.
"I give it 75 percent. Do I know it's gonna happen? No. Do I know if Floyd wants the fight? No," Arum was quoted as saying by the ESPN. "Manny told me that the Senate will be in recess for eight weeks between the middle of March and the middle of May.
"I don't think for a Mayweather fight that Manny would want to train like he did for Vargas by training in the Philippines and coming over [to the United States] two weeks in front of the fight.
Pacquiao himself said that the negotiation for the fight would not be as difficult as it was for their earlier meeting but maintained that there were no discussions currently.
"Not only for myself, but if the fans of boxing want the rematch then why not?" Pacquiao, who will resume his senate duties in Philippines from Tuesday, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
"Because we now have direct contact to them it would be easier to talk about when there will be a rematch. We don't have any discussions as for now.
"I believe if there is a rematch, or if it happens, I want to make sure the fans will love it and I will give everything to get back their trust."
Pacquiao had effectively managed his time between his duties as a senator back in his country and training for the welterweight fight. With the win on Sunday after a 12-round arduous battle with Vargas, he proved he still has it in him to go all out in the ring.
