Manny Pacquiao Vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Rematch: Pacquiao Plans Comeback Fight But Is Floyd On Short List?

Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing following his third fight against Timothy Bradley back on April 9. But now, less than four months later, the fighter they call “Pac Man,” who ran for and won a Senate seat in his homeland of the Philippines following his retirement, says that he wants to come back to the ring, and that has left fans wondering if a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. might be on Pacquiao’s dance card.

Mayweather himself retired after his 49th fight and 49th consecutive victory, in which he defeated unheralded Andre Berto on September 12 of last year. But boxing experts continue to believe that Mayweather’s latest “retirement,” which is his fourth since 2006, is only temporary.

Mayweather himself has hinted in recent weeks that he may be preparing a comeback, although he has said that a rematch with Pacquiao was ruled out. Mayweather himself has named undefeated 32-0 welterweight Danny “Swift” Garcia as a likely opponent for a comeback fight.

Manny Pacquiao will reportedly come out of retirement. If Floyd did too, who ya’ got? pic.twitter.com/xTmF3GDYb4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 13, 2016

Rumors also persist that Mayweather would come back for an inter-sport duel with mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor, who is under contract to the UFC.

Pacquiao is planning a comeback, he said, because, “boxing is my only means of livelihood to support my family and to help those who are in need.” Nonetheless, he has come under fire in the Philippines for apparently going back on a promise to put his duties as a senator ahead of boxing.

Pacquiao is easily the wealthiest legislator in the Philippines, listing his assets in public campaign documents at about $69 million. Other, independent estimates, have placed the boxer turned politician’s net worth as high at $190 million or even $250 million.

Pacquiao, at first, denied the reports that he planned to come out of his brief retirement, sending his trainer Freddie Roach a text message saying that the reports were “all lies.”

THREE IN LINE FOR @MannyPacquiao – Bob Arum lists possibilities, including @DannySwift: https://t.co/f8jC200TzB pic.twitter.com/uo4k0WN0xR

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 14, 2016

But soon afterward, Pacquiao asked his promoter, Bob Arum, to draw up a short list of opponents for a comeback fight to be held on either October 29 or November 5, 2016.

“He now has given us the go-ahead to shop for a venue and an opponent and see if we can do it on a particular date or dates,” promoter Bob Arum told the Guardian newspaper this week. “We’ve been trying to work out a date that doesn’t interfere with his senatorial responsibilities and his ability to train.”

Freddie Roach gives his opinion on potential opponents for Manny Pacquiao in that comeback, including Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the video below.

Arum now says that he has come up with a list of three potential opponents for Manny Pacquiao, according to a report by Britain’s Sky Sports. None of those names are Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The first Pacquiao vs. Mayweather showdown was widely panned as a snoozer; an unexciting and methodical points decision win for Floyd Mayweather Jr., after fans had shelled out pay per view fees of up to $100, a new record price for a pay-per-view boxing event, to see what they hoped would be an action-packed battle between the sport’s two biggest names, and, at least at one time, the greatest pound-for-pound fighters.

PREVIOUS INQUISITR MANNY PACQUIAO COVERAGE:
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Despite the bad reviews of the final product, the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight on May 2, 2015, grossed about $500 million, another new record. Even if they could expect to do only half as well, a second fight may present too large of a potential payday for either Pacquiao or Mayweather to pass up.

But the names Bob Arum has in mind for a potential Manny Pacquiao foe later this year include none other than Danny Garcia, a possibility which could preempt a planned comeback fight against Garcia by Floyd Mayweather Jr. The other two potential opponents are Jessie Vargas and either Terence “Bud” Crawford or Viktor Postol, who are set to fight each other on July 23.

[Featured Photo By Jamie Squire / Getty Images]