Floyd Mayweather Listed as Favorite in Potential Rematch with Manny Pacquiao

• Floyd Mayweather is largely viewed as the greatest defensive fighter in boxing history
• The 41-year-old has not fought an established pro boxer since 2015
• Manny Pacquiao has won four of five fights since losing a controversial decision to Mayweather in 2015

It has been over three years since Floyd Mayweather stepped into the ring against an experienced professional boxer. But despite his lengthy absence from the squared circle, the former multi-class world champion continues to command respect as a heavy -260 favorite on the boxing odds in any future clash with archrival Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao Odds

Mayweather Undefeated, but Idle for Over Three Years

Mayweather has not faced an established boxer in the ring since earning a 12-round unanimous decision victory over American Andre Berto in September 2015. “Money” announced his retirement from boxing following that win, but was subsequently enticed to return to action for an August 2017 clash with mixed martial artist Conor McGregor that reportedly earned him a massive $300 million payday.

Floyd Mayweather implies he’ll make $300 million ‘or better’ against Conor McGregor https://t.co/1SUbvLLfMh pic.twitter.com/1EVyUJVDl6

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 2, 2017

McGregor eventually proved to be no match for Mayweather, who improved his professional boxing record to an unblemished 50-0 with a 10th round TKO victory over the controversial Irishman. The win immediately sparked speculation about a possible rematch with Pacquiao, who Mayweather defeated by unanimous decision in a controversial clash in early 2015.

Watch Floyd Mayweather knock out Tenshin Nasukawa in first round. https://t.co/5AB3lOdmGi pic.twitter.com/Eql14wmWKz

— Complex (@Complex) December 31, 2018

However, the only action that Mayweather has seen since beating McGregor is a recent three-round exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, in which he earned an uneventful first-round TKO win.

Pacquiao Coming off Successful Welterweight Title Defence

Conversely, “Pac-Man” has kept busy in the ring since his loss to Mayweather. The 40-year-old has fought five times since that contest, racking up a 4-1 record, capped by a 12-round unanimous decision win over Adrien Broner last Saturday that marked the first successful defence of his WBA welterweight crown.

Pacquiao has continued to display the speed and power that earned him Fighter of the Decade honors for the 2000’s.

Pacquiao continued to display the speed and power that earned him Fighter of the Decade honors for the 2000’s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, outpunching Broner by a margin over two to one. In addition, Pacquiao has reportedly built his recent success on a ferocious training regimen, and is clearly a smarter fighter today than in the early days of his career.

What we learned from Manny Pacquiao's victory over Adrien Broner | #PacBronerhttps://t.co/eBmD6OpYI3

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) January 20, 2019

While “Pac-Man” continues to wear down opponents with fearsome punching power, there is no reason to expect anything less than the best defensive fighter in boxing history to make his return should Mayweather come out of retirement to face Pacquiao.

Can an Aging Mayweather Regain his Championship Form?

But the question remains, in a rematch with Pacquiao, can a long-retired 41-year-old Mayweather regain the conditioning and maintain the lightning-fast punching speed that made him a boxing legend and earned him the win in his first clash with “Pac-Man”?

Mayweather beats Pacquiao but will never have victory he wants the most http://t.co/sRsbioNG8l via

— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) May 3, 2015

Maybe, but as a lengthy +200 longshot to hand Mayweather his first professional defeat on the boxing futures, Pacquiao will attract considerable attention from sports bettors ahead of what would likely be the richest boxing match in the history of the sport.