Manny Pacquiao pushing for Floyd Mayweather rematch after Mario Barrios: ‘He’s been ducking, avoiding me’

When Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. entered the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 2, 2015, they did so taking part in the richest fight in boxing history.

Five years of marination had led to a commercial bonanza, as 4.6 million Americans purchased the fight on pay-per-view, and the live gate — money from ticket sales — was a staggering $72 million. The event was gigantic, but ultimately the fight in the ring was a disappointment. Mayweather used his defensive prowess to box to a comfortable decision victory over Pacquiao to unify three welterweight belts.

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They say old habits die hard, and more than a decade later Pacquiao, 46, is back at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, fighting for a welterweight title against WBC champion Mario Barrios, with fresh talks of a Mayweather fight seemingly underway.

“Of course [I’d be interested],” Pacquiao told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday about a potential second fight with Mayweather. “He’s been ducking [the rematch].

“I don’t want an exhibition with [Mayweather], I want a real fight.”

“It’s been a long time [since the first fight],” Pacquiao added. “I want to give the fans a good fight between me and [Mayweather], but he’s been ducking, avoiding me.”

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First, Pacquiao has a stern test in front of him on Saturday in the form of Barrios.

Barrios, 30, is a champion in his prime. “El Azteca” has been overlooked by opponents before, but each time he has proved his caliber. Barrios notably earned respect from the boxing community after a competitive fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis in 2021. The welterweight champion followed that up with a loss to Keith Thurman, however he’s since embarked on a three-fight win streak, including a victory over Yordenis Ugas — who sent Pacquiao into retirement in 2021.

“The reason [I’m coming back] is that boxing is still my passion,” Pacquiao said about ending his four-year absence from the ring. “I still have the ability to get a belt and win a world title fight.

“The Ugas fight, I was distracted. There [were] so many distractions before the fight.”

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Pacquiao was supposed to square off with Errol Spence Jr. in August 2021, but Spence Jr. was forced out with a torn retina just 10 days prior the event. After training and sparring for Spence, a southpaw, Pacquiao accepted the Cuban orthodox Ugas as a late replacement and was beaten on points.

Despite having won titles in eight different weight classes and being a shoo-in for boxing’s Hall of Fame, Pacquiao wasn’t satisfied with his exit from the sport and wanted to return to his lifelong passion.

“Two years [after I announced my retirement, I made the decision to come back],” Pacquiao revealed. “I really missed boxing. I really missed those days [in] training camp, promoting the fight, everything like that. I was consulting my family, my wife, and it just happened that my wife [gave me her blessing].”

Pacquiao wasn’t able to return to the ring straight away, though, as the Filipino boxer was still in the midst of his senate campaign. Earlier this year, however, Pacquiao finished 18th in the Philippine race for Senate, which meant he could finally shelve his political ambitions — at least temporarily — and focus on attempting to become the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history.

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“He’s taller than me, and he’s a champion,” Pacquiao said of Barrios. “To become a champion, it’s not that easy, so at least he’s proven something: That he can fight.”

Pacquiao has also been linked to a boxing match with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor in recent years. McGregor made his professional boxing debut in 2017, losing to Mayweather in the second-richest fight in boxing history, behind only Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

“[We] almost make that [fight] happen, but there’s so many problems with his manager,” Pacquiao said of negotiations for a McGregor fight.

In 2020, Pacquiao signed a contract with Paradigm Sports — which represents McGregor — to organize a boxing match between the pair. However, no fight was made as McGregor lost to Dustin Poirier, and Pacquiao instead signed to fight Spence Jr. with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

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Pacquiao and Paradigm Sports have been embroiled in a legal battle since the fight fell apart — a situation Pacquiao told Uncrowned is still ongoing and makes a potential fight between himself and McGregor difficult to organize for the time being.