If he had his way, trainer Freddie Roach wouldn't mind having a second crack at Floyd Mayweather Jr. for Manny Pacquiao.
For now, that possibility may be clouded, seeing that both fighters continue to want nothing to do with the other. Could all of that change in 2016?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to fight Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 12, a match which he claims will be his swan song. But, of course, not many are convinced that it will be, seeing that Berto is not exactly the type who ice the cake on Mayweather's colorful boxing career.
The upcoming fight is seen by many as nothing more than Mayweather's easy way to 49–0; and then go for a record-breaking 50th win in 2016 against a yet-to-be-determined fighter. Right now, there is no one in mention. Such fight could still be lucrative, although probably not as much as the one last May.
Pacquiao, on the other hand is still on the mend; and chances are he will hold his first fight by early 2016. Would it be against Mayweather? Probably not that immediate.
Pacquiao may likely face someone else before entertaining any thoughts of a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao sequel. The frontrunners include Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, or even Terence Crawford. If Pacquiao successfully show he is 100% back to form, then maybe a Mayweather tiff could be possible.
Many will, of course, shoot down such a tiff, seeing how the May 2 fight went down. And even with a fully healed shoulder, many feel that the outcome will still be the same.
The problem is not with Pacquiao, but with Mayweather who opts to play defense. The only way to make it interesting is for Pacquiao and his camp to find a way to break the Mayweather defense. Aggressively attacking won't work; so it will take a new and hopefully better plan to make the fight exciting.
Will a fight take place? Roach wants it but unfortunately has no say on whomever Pacquiao fights next. How about Bob Arum? Would he be open to a rematch? Well, if it racks in revenue, expect the Top Rank promoter to try and pull a few strings.
