MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Floyd Mayweather Jr. thumbed down talks about a possible rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said the undefeated American is keen on retiring after his fight with Andre Berto this Sunday.
Asked recently by Sports Illustrated about whether a second meeting between Mayweather and Pacquiao would happen, Ellerbe replied to the contrary.
“Absolutely not,” said Ellerbe, also Mayweather’s close adviser.
Mayweather outpointed Pacquiao in boxing’s richest fight ever last May in Las Vegas. The bout raked in record profits of over $400 million and netted career-high purses for both fighters that a rematch is a logical option.
Some boxing observers believe Mayweather won’t be able to resist the lure of money and stage a comeback, looking for the most bankable opponent. The pound-for-pound king earned more than $200 million against Pacquiao, a paycheck he won’t be able to make against other opponents.
But Ellerbe insists that Mayweather does not need money and will stay retired.
“Well, in Floyd's case it's a little different – because a lot of fighters have come back mostly for the money. Floyd has generated hundreds of millions of dollars,” he continued.
“He's set for generations. He's done everything that he possibly could [while] boxing these many years and it's just time to ride off into the sunset.”