Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: After Pacquiao defeat, what’s next?

It was dubbed the fight of the century, and while it might have disappointed some fans, the money that was dealt out before, during, and after the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao super-fight – the fans were really the only ones disappointed. It was a fight that many said should have happened 5 years ago when Pacquiao was still in his prime, but instead, the two battled, as they are now closer to 40 than 30. The result was what many expected, as Mayweather improved to 48-0 while Pacquiao suffered his 6th loss.

The bottom line is that the deck was stacked against Pacquiao. He was the smaller fighter, with a shorter reach, and he was fighting the best defense fighter in the last 20-25 years. The setup of the match though seemed to be the one thing that truly damaged what the fight could have been. Manny Pacquiao traditionally fights aggressively, while Floyd Mayweather lets his opponents fight aggressively and ultimately wears them down with his physical prowess.

mayweather-vs-pacquiao

The debate that came though after the unanimous decision in favor of Floyd Mayweather though had to do with the future of each fighter. For Mayweather, he initially said that he would hang up his gloves after his last Showtime fight, which is scheduled this fall. Today though, he pointed out that he would likely entertain a second fight with Pacquiao should he decide to take it. Manny Pacquiao’s future looks significantly different though.

Pacquiao and his $120,000,000 payout will be heading for surgery immediately on his shoulder, which was injured before the start of the fight. Mayweather and his $180,000,000 payout will begin prepping for his next fight, which will be his last with Showtime, and very well could be the last of his career – should he call it quits after that. He’s leaving the door open though to a rematch with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s future beyond his surgery is seriously questionable. There is a legitimate question to be asked regarding his ability to even fight one more match. He’s now approaching 40 years old, and for a fighter – a shoulder is a major body part to see the breakdown, much less recover from at his age. If he does fight again, and that fight is against Mayweather, he could do serious damage to his reputation and legacy as a fighter.

The bigger picture question at this point has to be – “Where does boxing go from here?” Both of these fighters are nearing the end of their careers, if one of them hasn’t already reached that end, and it’s unclear who will be rising through the ranks to replace them as dominant names. Will there be PART 2. No boxer commands money like Floyd Mayweather, and likely, he is the best businessman that boxing has ever seen. Both fighters and the sport as a whole have serious soul searching to do as the next several months move forward. Neither fighter though needs to fight anything beyond this calendar year.

About the author

Nitin Agarwal

Nitin has a background in Electrical Engineering and is passionate about the Internet of Things. He covers how connected devices like smart homes, wearables, and industrial IoT are changing our daily lives. Nitin is also a DIY enthusiast and loves to build IoT gadgets.

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