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The hope for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather rematch may have just taken a blow
(Al Bello/Getty)
We may only get one Mayweather-Pacquiao bout.
The hopes for a rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have always been slim, but fans have clung to the hope that after a disappointing first match in May, the two would take the ring again before retiring.
However, the chances of that are looking even slimmer today than they did immediately after the match.
According to Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, Pacquiao is planning to retire in 2016 to become a senator in the Philippines.
Pacquiao is still recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in the lead-up to the Mayweather fight, but when he heals, he's planning on doing one more fight. Arum has said that he may arrange a fight with Amir Kahn.
This doesn't totally rule out a rematch with Mayweather, but it certainly dims the hopes even further.
Pacquiao is 36 years old and, even before the Mayweather fight, looked diminished in the ring compared to his prime years. By the time he's recovered from a shoulder injury and tacked on another year while sitting out of boxing for so long, he won't look like a true competitor to Mayweather.
Mayweather, meanwhile, is closing in on the end of his career. While he's said that he plans on only doing one more fight, a common theory is that he'll take two more to finish his career at 50-0. He'll take his 49th fight on September 12 against the heavily outmatched Andre Berto, and, if he does take a 50th fight, it remains to be seen who his last opponent will be.
This could be the only thing that keeps the window open for a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch. Mayweather reportedly wants to take on easy opponents, and if he is looking for an easy victory for his final fight, could there be a more ideal matchup than an aged, rusty Pacquiao? As they were the first time, the paydays would be huge, and there would be little doubt that Mayweather would be the favorite.
That all depends on Pacquiao, however, and if what Arum says is true, then there will probably only ever be one Mayweather-Pacquiao bout.
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