Manny Pacquiao Will Beat Floyd Mayweather in Potential Rematch, Says Bob Arum

Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, believes the Filipino would beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the two were to step into the ring for a rematch.

According to Filipino website Rappler (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com), Arum mentioned Money as a possible opponent for Pacquiao:

"

Mayweather may be a possibility. You know Mayweather’s making noises about returning and going to a 50th fight, and let’s see Manny with a fully healed shoulder. I think Manny would give a lot better account of himself in that fight.

I thought it was a very close fight. I thought Manny could have won that fight. when they fight again, if they fight again, I have no doubt that Manny will win.

"

The American won the bout in May 2015 via unanimous decision, with Pacquiao undergoing surgery on his shoulder shortly after the defeat.

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According to Joe Daunt and James Armstrong of the Telegraph, Pacquiao threw 429 punches over the course of the 12 rounds—around 300 fewer than normal—and connected with just 81 as Mayweather worked his defensive magic.

ESPN's Derek Tyson was unimpressed:

Money has since retired at 49 fights unbeaten, and Pac-Man has also stayed away from the ring to focus on his work as a senator in his home country, but he will be coming out of retirement to fight Jessie Vargas in November.

While the fight between them did not quite live up to its billing—perhaps because of Pacquiao's shoulder, not to mention both fighters were past their prime—it sold more than 4.6 million pay-per-view packages and made over $600 million, according to Chaykovsky, making it the most lucrative bout in the history of the sport.

Speaking with Showtime in May, Money said it would require another hefty payday to tempt him out of retirement:

However, later in the month, the American said he would only consider putting his gloves back on to fight UFC star Conor McGregor in a sensational bout, per ES News (h/t Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports).

With Mayweather now 39 and Pacquiao set to turn 38 in December, any potential rematch would likely need to take place relatively soon.

Viewers will never get to see how a bout might have gone down between the pair in their prime, but it could still be intriguing to see if the Filipino fares any better without any fitness concerns.

Before any potential rematch with Money, though, Pacquiao needs to prove he can still cut it against WBO welterweight champion Vargas—were he to lose, it makes a second fight with Mayweather highly unlikely.