Pacquiao challenges Floyd Mayweather to a rematch

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Pacquiao challenges Floyd Mayweather to a rematch

Manny Pacquiao has challenged five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather to a rematch, calling for the American to come out of retirement.

Pacquiao, 40, lost to Mayweather in 2015 by unanimous points decision, but has since regained a version of the world title.

He previously said he “cannot retire with peace of mind” without a rematch.

“Get back to the ring and we will fight again if he wants,” Pacquiao said after he beat Adrian Broner on Saturday.

Pacquiao challenges Floyd Mayweather to a rematch

The Philippine great retained his WBA world welterweight title with a convincing unanimous points win over the American in Las Vegas.

“If he wants to come out of retirement, then announce it and challenge me. I’m a champion and I don’t pick any opponent,” Pacquiao said after the fight, which 41-year-old Mayweather attended.

“My message is I’m still active and if he goes back to the ring and wants to challenge me, I’m a champion.

“I’m just waiting to see who will challenge me, who will challenge [for] my belt.”

The 2015 fight between the two multi-weight world champions was billed as the ‘Fight of the Century,’ but after a tame defeat, which saw Mayweather add the WBO welterweight title to his WBC and WBA titles, Pacquiao said he had been suffering with a shoulder injury.

Tickets for the bout reached prices of as much as $350,000 (£232,000) and American fans were charged almost $100 (£66) to watch on television, with millions more watching across the world.

Mayweather made a return to the sport on New Year’s Eve, taking just 140 seconds to beat Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition boxing bout worth a reported $9m. (BBC)

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