Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao: Results, Examining Future of Rivalry

The sports world endured nearly six years of talk before Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally faced off in the ring. Then the fight itself failed to live up to the hype. The question now is whether that completely rules out a potential rematch.

Mayweather was firmly in control for a vast majority of the fight en route to a victory by unanimous decision. He used his typical defend-and-counter strategy to effectively keep Pacquiao, usually known for his quickness and power, at bay.

ESPN Stats and Info listed the final scorecard results:

CompuBox showcased punch stats that confirmed the judges' opinion:

So based purely on the first fight itself, a rematch probably isn't needed. Mayweather scored an easy victory, looked like the superior boxer throughout and finally got the monkey of never facing the other superstar of the current era off his back.

His future is also cloudy at this point. As Brett Okamoto of ESPN highlighted, "Money" continued to state after Saturday's bout that the end of his career is on the horizon:

While he could obviously walk away from the sport after his next fight, it's probably too soon to label it a guarantee. His bargaining position with networks is improved by making it clear he's ready to call it quits if the right offer doesn't come along.

That said, if Mayweather does retire in September, there's no possibility of a rematch. Dan Rafael of ESPN reported "Pac-Man" will be sidelined for at least nine months after undergoing surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered before the fight.

The problem with his rotator cuff likely had a significant impact on his ability to implement his game plan against the undefeated American. In turn, an argument could be made that Pacquiao deserves another shot once he's at full strength, if Mayweather is still active.

Ryan Songalia of Rappler passed along comments from the Filipino sensation, who would definitely take on the challenge again if offered. Pacquiao said:

"

I want a rematch if he wants. I wasn't 100 percent ready for last night because of this shoulder but I don't want to use that complaining that I lost the fight. I'm just accepting the fact that I lost. At least to the people, I was the winner.

"

Darren Rovell of ESPN noted the outlet's Stephen A. Smith received a message from Mayweather, who didn't close the door on fighting Pacquiao again:

Alas, the public may not be as welcoming to a rematch. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders provided his thoughts following the fight, and they were echoed by many in the aftermath:

Interest in a rematch would clearly be down from the original. Yet, given the fact Saturday's bout created an estimated $300 million purse, another clash between the two would likely still be quite lucrative. Just not with as much mainstream hype.

All told, there are more questions than answers at this stage. Between Mayweather's potential retirement, Pacquiao's recovery from injury and the overall interest level in a second bout, it's going to take some time before the future of the rivalry becomes more clear.

Hopefully it's a more active, entertaining bout if they do face off again in the future. Don't count on it given Mayweather's preferred defensive tactics, though.