WASHINGTON (AP) – Nagretiro na rin sa Manny Pacquiao, ngunit parang tukso ang palipad-hangin ni undefeated retired champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. sa posibilidad na magbalik lona kapalit ang ‘nine figure’ na premyo.
Sa panayam ng CBS at Showtime, sinabi ni Mayweather na masaya na siya sa kanyang pagreretiro, ngunit tila hindi niya matanggihan ang alok ng isang kumpanya na muling magbalik sa ibabaw ng lona.
“Everyone is asking me, ‘Is Floyd Mayweather coming back?’” pahayag ni Mayweather kung saan personal na pinanood ang laban ng kanyang fighter na si super middleweight titleholder Badou Jack.
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“Right now, I’m happy being on this side, but I’ve been talking with CBS and Showtime, and you just never know. But right now, I’m just happy on this side,” sambit ni Mayweather.
Sa katanungan na kung ano ang makapagpapabalik sa kanya, sinagot ito ng dating pound-for-pound king.
“As of right now, some crazy numbers have been thrown my way -- upwards, of course, of nine figures,” aniya.
“But I’m truly blessed beyond belief, and I really don’t know what we’re going to do. But right now, I’m really happy being on this side helping our fighters.”
Marami ang nagtutulak kay Mayweather na labanan niya si unified middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin (35-0), ngunit igiit niyang malabo itong mangyari.
Matatandaang lumaban na si Mayweather sa junior middleweight kontra kina Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto at Canelo Alvarez, ngunit hindi pa siya sumusubok sa 160 lbs.
“I think that it’s best that he go up and fight Andre Ward,” pahayag ni Mayweather tungkol kay Golovkin. “I think that would be a good fight for Triple G and Andre Ward. How can Floyd Mayweather fight at 160 [pounds] when I can never even make 154?”
Naungusan ni Mayweather si Pacquiao via unanimous decision sa laban na tinaguriang “The Fight of the Century” noong Mayo 2, 2015, bago muling nanalo ng desisyon kay Andre Berto noong Setyembre bago nagretiro sa ikalawang pagkakataon tangan ang 49-0 karta.
Nagretiro siya na may markang katulad ng namayapang boxing icon na si Rocky Marciano.
Matapos ang laban kay Berto, iginiit ni Mayweather na huling laban niya ito.
“My career is over. It’s official,” aniya.
Subalit nitong Sabado, may padaplis ang mga pahayag ni Mayweather hingil sa posibilidad na magbalik aksiyon.
“I was able to retire from the sport with all my faculties and not let the sport retire me,” aniya.
“If I came back, of course it’d have to be a 9-figure payday and a championship fight,” pahayag ni Mayweather.
