Manny Pacquiao claims Floyd Mayweather 'afraid' to face him again

Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao has weighed in on Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s statement saying that he no longer has the desire to fight world champions and title holders. Pacquiao believes that the American is afraid of fighting him, which is why a long-awaited rematch between the two boxers does not appear to be happening at least in the near future.

When asked about his opinion on the rematch which could see him seek revenge over his rival, Pacquiao said, "I don't think it will happen because he's scared to death to face me in the ring again."

"He's scared. From the beginning he's been intimidated by me and scared to face me," Pacquiao said, as quoted by TalkSport.

A rematch between the two boxing legends has been the subject of speculations almost as soon as they concluded their first bout in 2015 in Las Vegas. Mayweather won that fight on points via unanimous decision. Two judges scored the fight 116-112, with another scoring it 118-110 all in favour of the still undefeated Mayweather.

Since then, the pair went their separate ways, with Pacquiao becoming a senator and even making a failed bid to become President of the Philippines earlier this year. Mayweather meanwhile, concentrated on his business ventures and generating more cash via exhibition matches.

Last September, he defeated MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition match in Japan. That was when he made the declaration that he no longer wishes to fight extremely challenging matches against boxing champions. Mayweather claimed that he was done with all the hard work and just wants to enjoy what he has built during his long career without putting his body at risk.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao appears to have taken the same route himself, with an exhibition bout booked against South Korean YouTuber DK Yoo in December.

Boxing fans are still hoping to see a rematch between the two, especially after many were left wanting after their 2015 match. Mayweather played a game of strategy against Pacquiao's brute force, and some were left wanting to see more raw action. However, Mayweather's smart boxing won him the match, even though it looked like he took more evasive action than actual boxing.

That match generated almost US$940 million coming from pay per view subscriptions and ticket sales.