Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to face Marcos Maidana on September 13, and while the Argentine puncher gave Floyd a competitive run in their first fight, on May 3, Mayweather will once again enter the ring as an overwhelming favorite.
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Upon announcing the Maidana rematch, Mayweather also subtly hinted at a "surprise" coming in 2015. At a BET red carpet event Mayweather was quoted saying, "Sept. 13, back to business, Marcos Maidana-Floyd Mayweather, part II. And then in May, I'm fighting in May and I'll have a big surprise for ya'll."
That surprise could be Manny Pacquiao, according to reports. A source told Boxinginsider.com that Floyd Mayweather Sr. is pushing for his son to face Pacquiao, and thinks it could happen.
"I thought at the time that maybe the dad was just saying that because he was trying to motivate the fight," the source is quoted as saying. "I know Showtime will push for this fight," said the source. "Where else can they get 2 million buys? Floyd is at a different level. He's fighting for history."
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Pacquiao is slated to take on Chris Algieri on November 22; while Algieri fought an entertaining fight against Ruslan Provodnikov in June, big pay-per-view sales will be an uphill battle. Pacquiao's numbers are declining along with his knockout power, and Algieri is a relative unknown outside of New York. There's no official numbers out on Mayweather's first fight with Maidana either, but speculation is that the numbers were lower than expected.
If both stars' PPV numbers are fading, that may finally be the impetus to get them in the ring together. Boxing fans shouldn't hold their breath though, because the relationship between Mayweather and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is acrimonious at best.
It is more likely that Mayweather turns to one of the rising stars in the welterweight division, such as Shawn Porter or Keith Thurman next if he's able to win vs. Maidana in September.
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