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Odds Say Floyd Mayweather Unretired for a Rematch with Manny Pacquiao

Dylan Bowker

by Dylan Bowker in Boxing

Updated Apr 10, 2020 · 10:05 AM PDT

Floyd Mayweather flexing at a weigh-in
The biggest combat sports athlete of our time appears to be making his competitive return as Floyd Mayweather goes on social media to announce he is coming out of retirement for a fight in the new year. Photo from @Uk24N (Twitter).
  • Floyd Mayweather has taken to social media to announce he’s coming out of retirement
  • Who is Floyd’s next opponent going to be for his comeback in 2020?
  • Find out what sport / promotion could acquire Mayweather’s services in the new year

Floyd Mayweather seems to be coming out of retirement yet again. The man regarded by many as the best boxer of this generation will once again enter the field of combat. Many are buzzing as to what exactly that means though. Some are talking potential opponents but there’s even some out there who are curious as to which sport he comes back to. Peep the odds for Mayweather’s next opponent, the odds on which sport / promotion he competes in, and my analysis of it all below!

 Sport / Promotion Odds for Floyd Mayweather’s Next Fight

Sport / Promotion Odds
Boxing +200
UFC +300
Rizin +5000
Bare Knuckle FC +10000
ONE Championship +10000

Odds taken Nov. 22nd.

The odds surrounding Mayweather going to UFC are generated from a couple of things. One factor is that Floyd has in the past put out teaser videos of him entering an MMA cage with the implication being that he’s thinking of taking a fight in the UFC at some point. Another reason: Mayweather was seen with Dana White and a post on Instagram indicated the two were collaborating on a special event.

I think the special event has to do with Zuffa Boxing, the long-discussed project of White’s that I believe will finally start taking shape. I see his return being in boxing, but the discussion of his next opponent is a more curious conversation.

The Pick: Boxing (+200)

 Floyd Mayweather’s Next Opponent Odds

Fighter Odds
Manny Pacquiao +200
Georges St Pierre +400
Khabib Nurmagomedov +450
Canelo Alvarez +1000
Conor McGregor +1000
Dana White +10000

 

Former opponents like Canelo Alvarez and Conor McGregor are unlikely for many reasons. Alvarez has settled nicely into his competitive prime and would provide Mayweather a much stiffer test than the young man that Money defeated years ago. A rematch with Canelo, the current multi-division champion, doesn’t make as much sense on a risk/reward level to someone as calculated as Money Mayweather.

For McGregor, he has suffered back-to-back losses to Mayweather and Khabib Nurmagomedov, which has taken some luster off of him. At least as it relates to booking a matchup like this. Also, McGregor’s myriad of legal troubles / focus on his next UFC fight gets in the way of that.

In regards to Khabib, the reason I can’t see him being in this fight is the looming presence of Tony Ferguson. This is a fight that fans have long been salivating over and I think the UFC is definitely prioritizing booking that bout next. The option of Dana White is good for a chuckle but there’s several reasons why it’s the least likely of the given options.

GSP has historically been a much bigger man in competition than Mayweather. Recent photos of Georges looking much more slender have caused intrigue though. Many theorized he was doing a test cut to see if he could make the lightweight limit for a super fight with Khabib. The dialogue has since morphed into “could GSP be slimming down for a Boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather?”

The most likely option is Pacquiao. They have a built-in history (combining for one of the biggest money grossing fights of all time), Pacquiao has maintained his competitive relevance as of late, and I can see the MayPac rematch going down under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

The Pick: Manny Pacquiao (+200)

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