Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Rematch: Pros and Cons of Money vs. Pac-Man 2

After years of deliberation and ultimately getting nowhere close to the ring, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally fought on Saturday in the biggest boxing match of the current generation.

Mayweather prevailed by unanimous decision, as the bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas saw him dance away and dog numerous flurried combinations from Pacquiao.

HBO had the final scores from the three judges, while Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated cited the punching numbers compiled by CompuBox:

Since their fight generated so much buzz the first time around, is it possible Money May and Pac-Man will duke it out for a second time?

There are pros and cons to this scenario. First, if Pacquiao exacts vengeance for the opening loss, it will almost certainly set up a third, decisive showdown. While that would be good for financial purposes, neither modern superstar is getting any younger.

The quality of a second and even third prospective fight would go down considerably, and those in Pacquiao's corner will complain that Mayweather dances too much as it is.

Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal offered up some interesting analysis in assessing the possibility:

Even if it would still generate the fanfare, pay-per-view dollars and bottom-line rewards, though, it'd be hard to justify an ongoing series, if only for one other fight.

So much bickering back and forth happened before the fight officially went on. It's difficult to say whether those who enjoy boxing would be ready for another round of the melodrama.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports weighed in on the pre-fight controversies that preceded the first matchup:

On the other hand, if Saturday's victor comes out on top again in a potential rematch, further closure will be brought to the debate as to who is better between Mayweather and Pacquiao. A lot of the second fight's pros and cons would be dependent on the outcome.

As it stood for the first fight, it took until a mere 10 days prior to the first-round bell ringing for the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps to finally reach an agreement on a deal for the bout with the MGM Grand and each other.

Jordan Schultz of The Huffington Post commented on the concerns about a deal not going down, per ESPN 99.1:

From a money standpoint, there is little to lose in a second fight, but even with the promise of huge fight checks, Mayweather and Pacquiao held back for years. The risk for both boxers is a blow to their respective legacies. Fans have wanted one meeting for so long that demanding another might be a bit too much to ask.

Mayweather is under contract for only one more fight and has spoken of plans to retire thereafter. He did so again on Saturday, per Showtime Sports:

The man who improved to 48-0 likely won't be invested enough to get up for another go with Pacquiao. Additionally, Pac-Man has a ton of other interests outside the ring, and with a fight with Mayweather already under his belt, where could he possibly go from here to advance his career—other than a rematch?

Based on Pacquiao's comments, he felt he had the upper hand and will likely push more for a second fight with Mayweather:

As has been the case leading up to Saturday's long-awaited clash, Pacquiao would be more forthcoming about the possibility. Such a one-sided commitment might water down the significance of the bout.

Most enthusiasts of the Sweet Science would no doubt welcome Mayweather and Pacquiao back for a second time. Whether the fight would actually live up to its billing in a possible second edition is the bigger question, and seems dubious given the circumstances and tenuous relations of both camps.

Sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Such should ultimately be the verdict when promoters try to decide whether Pacquiao and Mayweather should meet again, despite the guaranteed, inevitable byproducts of a huge purse and all that comes with the big paydays.

There is too much for Mayweather to lose from a legacy standpoint if he were to fall to Pacquiao. He has to know that and go as far away from a rematch in September as he can.