Retired undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is enjoying his life partying and traveling around the world. According to his camp the American no longer entertains the thought of returning to the ring.
Fight on?
While he has no intention of resuming his career to rack up more victories, offers of lucrative fights just refused to die.
Golden Boy Promotions chief Oscar de la Hoya expects a rematch between Mayweather and Mexican champion Saul Canelo Alvarez which will generate an estimated $1.5 billion, saying he wants to negotiate with Mayweather to make the fight.
Mayweather won a majority decision against Alvarez in their 2013 encounter in Las Vegas. The one-sided affair had garnered at least two million pay-per-view buys, making it the year's biggest boxing attraction.
But it remains to be seen whether Mayweather will take the bait. He did not respond to De la Hoya's offer as the promoter, who fought and lost to Mayweather in 2007 in the second richest fight of the sport's history, told the unbeaten American to take his phone call so they could talk on the lucrative Alvarez rematch.
Of course, $1.5 billion is a lot of money and Mayweather could earn hundreds of millions from the Alvarez fight, which will certainly be his biggest payday.
But many doubt if Mayweather will take the fight.
Mayweather knows fighting Alvarez at this time when the Mexican is at his prime is a very risky adventure that could taint his spotless record.
Of the two, the younger Alvarez is presently the busier one, having been on the winning streak since losing to Mayweather six years ago. He fought with some of the biggest names in his division and has recently signed a deal with DAZN for 11 fights worth $365 million.
Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao is also eyeing a rematch with Mayweather. Recently, the only eight-division champion claimed his camp is currently negotiating with the 'Money Team' for a possible fight this year.
Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in their highly-anticipated 2015 showdown dubbed the "Fight of the Century," which broke all PPV records.
But the fight, the richest in boxing, was a huge disappointment as it did not live up to the expectations of the fans due to lack of real action. Pacquiao later attributed his loss to a shoulder injury.
There was no confirmation from the Mayweather camp that negotiation with Pacquiao is taking place. But should a rematch happen, Pacquiao will certainly have a high chance to even the score based on his latest performances.
What's next for Mayweather
In his last two fights, Pacquiao displayed his vintage skills in disposing of Argentinian Lucas Matthysse and American Adrian Broner, telling the world he still has enough gas left in his tank to compete with the best in his division.
But it appears that Mayweather is not keen on fighting Pacquiao.
He remains mum on the latter's challenge. He knows another ring date with the Filipino poses a huge risk to his 50-0 record.
If Mayweather chooses to stay retired, it is because he wants to protect his clean record. Pacquiao and Alvarez are no longer the same fighters he once fought and defeated. They have already learned a lesson and now possess a blueprint to beat him.
