Floyd Mayweather claims he landed on his feet financially thanks to a costly blunder by rival Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather and Pacquiao met in one of the most lucrative fights of all-time in 2015, with the event becoming the highest-selling pay-per-view attraction in boxing history with 4.6 million people tuning in.
The pair finally settled their iconic rivalry even if it was later than hoped by boxing fans, with Mayweather getting the better of his arch rival on the scorecards in a clash that failed to catch fire as many hoped.
Both superstars earned frightening purses for the clash, with Mayweather pocketing a reported $180 million and Pacquiao landing $120 million himself.
But the payouts didn’t entirely stop years later, as the pair reportedly held talks over a rematch at exhibition level.
Reports broke confirming the news, but the biggest announcement came from Pacquiao himself.
He spoke about a sequel being in the works, and even jumped in the ring at an event staged by Japanese promotion RIZIN to suggest it was close to completion.
The pair in Tokyo last year, as Mayweather travelled to Japan to watch his rival in exhibition action against DK Yoo.
Pacquiao’s public comments meant that things became tense, given the rematch negotiations weren’t known about until his revelation.
And ‘Money’ later revealed he was granted a $4 million payout, for the fact Pacquiao leaked the talks and spoke about his fighting status.
“When Manny Pacquiao spoke about that [a rematch], he shouldn’t have,” Mayweather told the Pivot Podcast.
“I’m not gonna say he’s right and I’m not gonna say he’s wrong. Just by him saying my name they gave me a cheque for $4 million.
“He said my name when he wasn’t supposed to. I said, there’s a time and a place for everything.
“But remember – he got famous because they said he could the guy who could possibly dethrone the king.
“Did it happen? Absolutely not. Was it easy? Absolutely.”
Despite Pacquiao leaking the talks, a rematch never did come to fruition, with the plan seemingly abandoned.
Mayweather has instead continued fighting in exhibitions including against John Gotti III who he has met twice in the ring since.
‘Pac Man’ also returned in a disastrous exhibition fight against Rukiya Anpo, as he seriously struggled in a tough clash.
And the Filipino had been considering a full professional comeback prior to the event, with a world title shot against Mario Barrios touted.
It now appears the pair have put their rivalry behind them, focusing on other endeavours outside of the ring.
But Japanese promoter Nobuyuki Sakakibara had suggested it still could be on the cards, providing their professional records are not affected.
He told The Sun: “I wouldn’t be surprised if anything happens these days so the possibility is still there.
“We still have a good relationship with Floyd but he’s not thinking of coming back to real competitive fights.
“I understand that there isn’t no interest from his side on the rematch in non official bout, and Manny is interested.
“So it all comes down to the timing. And when everything aligns perfectly, I’m sure that rematch will happen.”
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