Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch appears real

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s  claim on his Instagram account that he will come out of retirement again, this time to fight Manny Pacquiao in December, does not only seem real; it is gaining traction, says a veteran boxing manager.

Sean Gibbons states that after blowing off Pacqiao’s challenge for a rematch for almost three and a half years, Mayweather appears gung-ho about the idea and  is working  to make it happen.

“I’m coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year,” Mayweather wrote on Instagram. Floyd’s social media post included a video taken by Gibbons of Money talking to Manny at an event in Japan over the weekend.

After a seven-year buildup, Mayweather and Pacquiao delivered a dud, not the fight of the century, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2015.

But Mayweather’s unanimous decision over Pacquiao was boxing’s most lucrative bout of all time, grossed $600 million, set the record for pay-per-view buys with 4.6 million and provided both fighters hefty paychecks in the $300-million plus range.

Quoting Gibbons, the Los Angeles Times reported that Mayweather is serious about a possible fight and has “initiated conversations with his powerful manager Al Harmon.”

According to the Times, the reclusive Harmon is “the man behind the curtain,” that Mayweather spent “a few hours on the phone with after seeing Pacquiao to jump-start the negotiating and planning process.”

The Times reported that “Gibbons said he wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a news conference for the fighters by next month, and, after Mayweather said on the video that he wants to fight in December, dates on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 are being eyed.”

“I’d say it (May-Pac 2) happening is an ‘8’ on a level of 1 to 10,” Gibbons said.  “After all of the uncertainty of the first fight—all the B.S.—people are seeking closure … No matter what some say, there’s a desire to see this again. People love sequels.”

Sports Illustrated’s yearly ranking of the NBA’s top 100 players is populated by stars of the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State, the defending NBA champ, placed two players in the top three, three in the top 13 and four in the top 22.

Kevin Durant was No. 2, Stephen Curry next at No. 3, Draymond Green at No. 13 and Klay Thompson at No. 22.

Los Angeles Laker LeBron James topped the list followed by Durant, Curry, Rockets guard James Harden, Pelicans center Anthony Davis, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Rockets guard Chris Paul, 76ers center Joel Embiid and Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler.