Manny Pacquiao claims to have received a definitive response from Floyd Mayweather, who recently claimed their upcoming rematch is an exhibition.
Their second encounter is set to take place at The Sphere, Las Vegas, on September 19, with the original announcement stating it would be a professional bout.
As such, fans were all under the impression that Mayweather would be putting his 50-0 record on the line, only for the American to swiftly lower everybody’s expectations.
The 49-year-old declaried their rematch would instead be an exhibition, though Pacquiao has denied this and insists it will be a fully sanctioned contest.
As it happens, Mayweather already had two non-competitive affairs scheduled with Mike Tyson and Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, though an official announcement regarding these exhibitions is yet to emerge.
In any case, Pacquiao fully expects to face his old rival later this year, reportedly telling journalist Lance Pugmire that “the fight is on”.
Speaking with ProBox TV, Pugmire recalled his conversation with the Filipino and reported his understanding that Mayweather has agreed to a professional contest.
“Pacquiao reached out to me [on Tuesday] – we talked on WhatsApp, actually – and he said: ‘The fight is on. Floyd has come to the table; everything’s fine. We’re good to go’.
“We know that Floyd always wants things on his terms, so he’s going to ‘formally’ announce it whenever he’s ready to.
“But, according to Pacquiao, they are happy with where they’re at right now with this deal, and having the confirmation from Floyd that the fight is going to be a real fight.”
Mayweather unanimously outpointed Pacquiao in 2015, back when their largely one-sided welterweight encounter became the most lucrative event in boxing history.
More recently, ‘Money’ has been involved in a series of exhibitions while Pacquiao ended a near four-year layoff last July, holding then-WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a controversial draw.
