Former world welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather said he will face Manny Pacquiao later this year in a rematch of the 2015 fight.
In an Instagram post, Mayweather said he will come out of retirement to fight Pacquiao, three years after scoring a comfortable points victory over the Filipino veteran.
“I will be back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year, again with a 9-figure bag,” Mayweather wrote on Instagram.
No further details were given. A video accompanying the message showed Mayweather and Pacquiao speaking to each other at an event, but their exact exchange of words could not be heard clearly.
Mayweather made an estimated $ 220 million from his fight with Pacquiao, which finally took place after years of negotiations. The Filipino made about $ 100 million.
Mayweather later retired in 2015 after his 49th win, but returned to the ring last year for a lucrative win over mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.
The 41-year-old American’s announcement on Saturday comes as Las Vegas gears up for the biggest fight of the year, the middleweight showdown between Gennady Golovkin and Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.
Speculation about a rematch with Pacquiao has been going on for years.
Pacquiao, who claimed to have been hampered by an injured shoulder in his first fight with Mayweather in 2015, has long talked about a rematch.
“Mayweather: If you decide to go back to boxing, that’s when we are going to make the decisions,” he said in July. I have the belt, so it’s up to him. If you want to go back to boxing, let’s do a second. Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 knockouts) returned to the ring in July after a one-year absence, defeating Argentine Lucas Matthysse in the seventh round in Kuala Lumpur. AFP