The word war continues between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao weeks after their controversial fight, as talk about a potential rematch between the pair gains momentum.
After being called a sore loser and a coward by Mayweather, Pacquiao has hit back in his native language (Filipino) to say that the one who ran is the real coward, in an interview with the Philippine Star.
Mayweather was initially willing to grant Pacquiao a rematch which would take place next year when Pacquiao is back to 100%. Pacquiao underwent surgery for his right shoulder in the weeks after his fight with Mayweather, with the injury sparking controversy with many complaining that the fight wasn't authentic as Pac-Man was boxing with a serious injury, which may have proven a massive handicap against a fighter of Mayweather's calibre.
Pacquiao himself has been heavily criticized for fighting with the injury, and is even facing multiple lawsuits by those claiming that by not declaring his injury ahead of the fight, he had potentially broken the law and been dishonest with fans who paid out huge amounts of money to watch the fight.
For his part, Mayweather has also been criticized following the fight. Even though many pundits praised him for his excellent technique in not allowing Pacquaio to get near him to engage for any length of time, fans have criticized and even mocked him for running away from Pacquiao in the fight. Throughout the fight Mayweather was seen backing away and keeping Pac-Man at a distance, while picking him off with accurate jabs. The lack of exchanges and fight action caused many to label the fight boring and a big let-down.
Mayweather won by a unanimous points decision and although most boxing experts agree with the clear decision in Mayweather's favour, many fans have also spoken of their disillusion that a boxer could win a fight despite backing away for such a large majority of the bout and barely landing any heavy blows.
Since the fight, both boxers have been taking turns in the war of words at each other, however, at present Mayweather has said he will not be giving Pacquiao a rematch, and will instead finish his career with a fight in September 2015 against a yet-to-be-named fighter.
Pacquiao on the other hand has been advised by some to seriously consider retirement and is still unsure of what to do next. Aside from boxing, Pacquiao is a member of the Kia Carnival team participating in the Philippine Basketball Association and is a congressman in Saranggani, Philippines.
Despite the negative talk of a Pacquiao vs Mayweather 2 bout, rumours have continued to circulate that both camps are working on a rematch that could take place in 2016.
The world is divided on whether it should take place but in the end, it could be up to one man - Floyd Mayweather Jr. – who wants to be the one to make the announcement, if ever.
