By: Sean Crose
Sylvester Stallone is a celebrity, not a boxer. Yet the man is so ingrained in the mind of the public as the heroic Rocky Balboa that at this point it’s easy to see how he can be mistaken for a genuine retired ring great. In other words, the guy’s name is synonymous with boxing. And when Stallone talks the sweet science, people tend to listen. That’s why the star’s recent comments to TMZ are drawing attention. “I think that’s about 99% certain it’s gonna happen,” the individual known as Sly claimed when asked if a rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is possible.
“They have every reason — honor, money, history and you got nothing better to do for the weekend,” he added with a wink. Although it will never be remembered as a classic fight, Mayweather and Pacquiao broke the bank and put boxing back in the headlines when they belatedly met in 2015. Mayweather won a one sided decision, millions groaned over the tedious nature of the battle, and those behind the match counted untold amounts of money. Just how big was the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight? So big that not even last summer’s Mayweather-McGregor novelty matchup couldn’t beat it’s pay per view record.
While there’s no question Mayweather-Pacquiao II, should it happen, would fall far short of the first fight’s revenue and viewing numbers, it would still likely be a huge pay per view success. Pacquiao just had a thrilling win over an aged Lucas Matthysse and the retired(?) Mayweather proved last year that he’s such a draw even the biggest MMA star in the world had to cross the street in order to make a Mayweather level pay check.
What’s more, people love big events, and a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch would be just that.
It’s worth noting that Stallone isn’t the top authority on the matter here. He’s a movie star who is exceedingly well regarded in the fight world. Stallone also makes it clear in the very short TMZ clip that he’s merely offering his opinion. He was asked a question regarding Pacquiao’s reported call out of Floyd this past summer after the Matthysse victory. “It’s up to him,” Pacquiao said of Mayweather at the time. “If he wants to come back in boxing let’s do a second one.”
Pacquiao’s impressive summer performance, coupled with Mayweather’s age, could make things interesting should the aging greats meet once more.
Then again…
Read more at: http://www.tmz.com/2018/08/15/sylvester-stallone-mayweather-pacquiao-rematch/
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