The rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao has been confirmed, with the return of ‘TBE’ now official — and Oscar De La Hoya, who has shared the ring with both men, believes one fighter holds a clear advantage heading into the bout.
Mayweather and Pacquiao faced off in the ‘Fight of the Century’ back in 2015, where the American claimed a unanimous decision victory in a technical and tactical battle that was deemed as lacklustre by most observers.
‘Money’ would fight on two more occasions before hanging up the gloves, whilst Pacquiao fought up until 2021, before making his comeback against Mario Barrios back in July, when he drew with the WBC welterweight world champion.
Now, over 11 years on from their initial encounter, the two are set to run it back at the combined age of 96, topping a Netflix bill on Saturday, September 19.
When discussing the possibility of a rematch with talkSPORT, six-division world champion De La Hoya, who lost to both men during his spectacular career, explained why he believes Mayweather will once again come out victorious.
“I think that Mayweather will take it.
“One thing with Mayweather that you have to understand is that he has always taken care of himself and his body; physically and mentally. He has always been very sharp, he is always staying in the gym and doing something physically.
“That is the big advantage that he has – he is an athlete, a world-class athlete. Watching Pacquiao’s last fight, you kind of feel bad for him, even though he did win by pulling off a surprise draw against a world champion.
“Still, you tend to kind of feel bad because it is not the same Pacquiao, it is definitely not the same Pacquiao that I faced, that’s for sure, the one that put me on my stool in the ninth round!”
Before he can fully focus on Pacquiao, Mayweather will first compete in an exhibition bout against Mike Tyson, reported to be in the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 25, kicking off what will be an extremely lucrative two-fight year for the undefeated legend.