It would be absolutely naive if anyone felt otherwise. It’s been some time since Manny Pacquiao‘s return, and his upcoming showdown with Mario Barrios has hogged the headlines. So it was only a matter of time before talks about PacMan’s next outing surfaced. Needless to say, the discourse on the lips of almost every fan remains the Floyd Mayweather rematch. Two months ago, the boxing world celebrated the tenth anniversary of the ‘Fight of the Century,‘ when Pacquiao and Mayweather walked into the richest fight in history. It looks like time has failed to erase its memories. If Pacquiao can come out of retirement, Mayweather could as well.

As of now, the matchup continues to swirl on the edges of rumor. But if it turns up, for sure, its noise will echo far and wide. Even outside the boxing world. Because it could potentially ring the death knell for another fight. After the Mayweather bout, Conor McGregor reportedly set his sights on a matchup against Pacquiao. Only instead of a ring, the contest unfolded in a court. Latest reports suggest that the former UFC champion plans to appeal the recent verdict, which reportedly went in Pacquiao’s favor. Still, given what Pacquiao recently mentioned, the chances of a McGregor fight now appear unlikely.

Manny Pacquiao joined as Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo’s popular show ‘Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry‘ neared its end. With just a minute left, Usman probed the rematch with Mayweather. “Was there any truth to that, or is that still kind of up in the air of maybe potentially happening?” It appears that while Pacquiao is up for the game, the ball is really in the undefeated former champion’s court. “Well, it’s up to him. If he comes out of retirement, then we’ll have a Mayweather-Pacquiao 2.” The response intrigued ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ into asking whether it will be an exhibition or a real professional bout. What about an exhibition with Conor McGregor?

“No, I don’t like exhibition,” Manny Pacquiao replied unhesitatingly. “Like, I want, if Mayweather’s my opponent. I don’t like exhibitions. Like, I want a fight like there’s a decision.” So that basically puts the lid on a potential matchup with ‘The Notorious’?

Last month, during a press interaction, Manny Pacquiao faced a direct question about a fight with Conor McGregor. And the boxing great replied, “I don’t know. Um, there are a lot of issues.”

Toll on the PacMan

The ‘issue’ Pacquiao was referring to was the 2023 lawsuit filed against him by Paradigm Sports, a sports agency connected to Conor McGregor. Paradigm claimed that Pacquiao was not permitted to negotiate or sign deals with other parties while under their agreement. In 2023, Paradigm sued Pacquiao, alleging he breached the contract. A California jury sided with Paradigm, ordering Pacquiao to pay $5.1 million in damages and an additional $2 million in legal fees.

However, following an appeal, the court overturned the ruling. They held the contract invalid because Paradigm didn’t have the license to represent boxers in California. As a result, Pacquiao was no longer required to pay the $7.1 million.

As a result of the legal entanglements, Pacquiao’s performance reportedly took a hit, and he suffered a loss to Yordenis Ugas back in 2021. “That fight is happening, and there is a case against me from Paradigm. And I am so distracted even at my training camp. They are trying to distract me, everything like that. It’s hard. It’s hard for me to carry on those burdens that I am not doing anything that can hurt them,” he revealed recently.

So fans might have to stay tuned and watch out. A great deal depends on how the Barrios fight turns out for Pacquiao to decide on the next step.

Which matchup would you prefer: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather 2 or Pacquiao vs. McGregor?