Whenever Manny Pacquiao?s name is uttered out in the opinion, Floyd Mayweather?s name usually follows and the retired champion is tired of that.
Ever since Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman on July 20 to win the WBA welterweight title, calls for Pacquiao and Mayweather to have a rematch have only strengthened. Mayweather, who was present at the MGM Grand for the Filipino?s split decision win, has remained adamant that he is officially done with pro boxing after his 2017 win over Conor McGregor but even he hinted at a potential return in the past.
The closest Mayweather has ever gone to un-retiring is an exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa last December, which Mayweather won with a first-round TKO. In a post on his Instagram page, Mayweather addressed his frustrations with his name being accompanied with Pacquiao?s in order to drive up interest in a potential rematch.
"I find it real ironic how every time Pacquiao's name is brought up in the media, my name is always attached to it. This man's entire legacy and career has been built off its association with my name and it's about time you all stop using my brand for clout chasing and clickbait and let that man's name hold weight of its own. For years, all you heard was that "Floyd is afraid of Manny Pacquiao". But what's funny is, when we finally fought, I won so easily that everyone had to eat their words! All of the so called boxing experts, critics and jealous American 'fan base' either went mute and ran for cover or made every excuse in the world as to why I should give Manny Pacquiao a rematch. My take on all this bulls--t is that y?all are just upset that I broke Rocky Marciano's record and hate the fact that a Black, high school dropout outsmarted you all by beating all odds and retiring undefeated while maintaining all my faculties simply by making smart choices and even smarter investments. Ultimately, I will always have the last laugh!"
Pacquiao?s Twitter account has since then responded to Mayweather?s comments on social media, inviting him to come out of retirement and have another fight.
Both men faced each other in May 2015 on a pay-per-view event that shattered records in terms of revenue and pay-per-view buyrate. Since that fight, Mayweather only fought twice before retiring for good in 2017 while Pacquiao had gone on to win the WBO and WBA titles, beating the likes of Jessie Vargas, Adrien Broner, Lucas Matthysse and Thurman.