Is Floyd Mayweather plotting a comeback?

Floyd Mayweather has retired and “un-retired” several times in his career, but his latest sabbatical from the sport has lasted longer than most thought it would.  Mayweather hung up the gloves *this* time after his December 2007 10th round KO victory over Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas and has stayed out of the limelight for almost a year.  He did appear in the ring once—for his Wrestlemania XXIV victory over Paul “The Big Show” Wight, but that cash grab notwithstanding hasn’t made much noise at all.

That could all change soon, with a number of reports, rumors and speculations suggesting that Mayweather is considering a return to boxing for a high profile fight and corresponding payday.  It all started right about the time that Manny Pacquaio dominated Oscar De La Hoya to cement his claim to the title of best “pound for pound” fighter in the world.  The next likely opponent for Pacquaio was Ricky Hatton who not only would offer the most credible challenge but also provide the most lucrative matchup.

That’s when all of the talk started—Mayweather was itching to fight again, and initially the talk centered on a rematch with Hatton.  Mayweather had considerable praise for “The Hit Man” after their bout, and his loyal British fans can always be counted on to put their money down for tickets and PPV purchases.  Then the talk turned toward a potentially bigger matchup—Mayweather vs. Pacquaio.  According to Freddy Roach, this is the fight most attractive to Pacquaio and according to some “sources” Mayweather would consider coming out of retirement in a matchup against the reigning “pound for pound” king.  All of the “Mayweather comeback” talk has focused on these two potential matchups for obvious reasons—they offer the most lucrative paydays for everyone concerned.

A third rumor has also emerged in the past couple of days—that all of the rumors are just that and that Mayweather is happy as a clam being retired and that neither fight is seriously being considered.  Of course this sort of talk is common in all professional sports as a negotiating posture, and boxing is certainly no different.  Recall that Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer both confirmed that the deal for the De La Hoya/Pacquaio fight was dead not more than a week before the fight date was formally announced.

Given the tenuous history of boxers staying retired as well as his own track record, chances are fairly good that fight fans haven’t seen the last of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  Clearly the only things that could motivate him at this point are a challenge to regain the “pound for pound” title, a huge payday or a combination of the two.  The lure of not one but two potential big money matchups within easy reach by fighting Pacquaio and/or Hatton again could be too much for Mayweather to resist.