By Nick Giongco
LAS VEGAS – The man who called up for an audition will be at ringside Saturday night.
Floyd Mayweather will be in attendance, occupying a prime ringside seat when Manny Pacquiao faces Adrien Broner for the World Boxing Association welterweight crown at the MGM Grand.
“He will be here 100 percent,” said Leonard Ellerbe, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Mayweather Promotions.
Mayweather’s presence is being seen as a sign that a rematch with Pacquiao is in the offing provided that the Filipino gets past Broner.
If Broner upsets Pacquiao, that should kill talks of a second meeting between the former claimants of the mythical pound-for-pound title and put Broner on the driver’s seat.
In May 2015, Mayweather defeated Pacquiao on points but Pacquiao’s camp later bared that an injured right shoulder cost him the bout.
Pacquiao would undergo an operation to repair the shoulder before calling out Mayweather once more.
Last September in Tokyo, Pacquiao and Mayweather ‘accidentally’ met during a dance party and the American taunted Pacquiao repeatedly and teased him about a rematch.
Of course, Mayweather would return to the ring before the end of 2018 but wound up meeting a Japanese kickboxer he easily beat in an exhibition match.
Should there be a rematch, the fight can take place as early as June or July with September as alternative date.
PACQUIAO’S SON MAY FOLLOW HIS FOOTSTEPS
Meantime, Pacquiao bared on Tuesday that his 18-year-old son Jimuel wants to box.
“Jimuel has videos of my fights on his cellphone and he keeps on watching them,” said Pacquiao.
“I don’t like him to box…in my house, you can’t find any boxing equipment,” said Pacquiao.
Last week, a video on social media showed Jimuel training at the Wild Card Boxing Club by former world champion Rodel Mayol.
Unlike his superstar father, Jimuel is right-handed.
But like his father, the young Pacquiao packs a punch and is brave.
“Malakas at matapang,” said Mayol, who has trained Jimuel three times the last two weeks.
