Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas - Hall of Fame trainer trainer Freddie Roach expects a second helping of a mega-fight in 2017, after Manny Pacquiao reclaimed the World Boxing Organization welterweight title for the third time with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jesse Vargas here on Saturday.
Roach in anticipating a rematch between Pacquiao and the retired Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was watching with a smile from ringside.
Mayweather seemed to be yelling instructions into the ring when the 37-year-old Pacquiao used a short right-handed counterpunch to floor Vargas in the second round en route to a one-sided win.
All three judges scored the bout for Pacquiao, two of them by 118-109 and the other by 114-113.
Pacquiao won the WBO title for the first time in 2009 when he beat Miguel Cotto. He lost it three years later to Timothy Bradley, then got it back by winning the rematch with Bradley in 2014.
He then lost it last May by way of a twelve round unanimous decision to Mayweather, who was stripped of the belt a few weeks later for non-payment of the sanctioning fee.
Roach believes Mayweather's recent surprise visits to his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, and the fact that he showed up at ringside, indicates that he wants to fight.
“Was he looking for Manny Pacquiao or not? I think it’s going to happen. There’s a lot on the table and I think they can do it. I know Manny can fight a better fight and I was a little disappointed the first time, and I would love to have it one more time," Roach said.
'Their styles didn’t merge as well as they would have done ten years ago, or eight years ago. But I do think Manny can fight a much better fight, a much more aggressive fight and a much more offensive fight."
"And I think that’s what he has to do to win that fight because the other guy is a very good boxer and I think Floyd just sits back and outboxes him if Manny lets him. But I think with the way he is punching tonight it will be a different story. I think it will be a much more exciting fight and again I really want that fight. We didn’t fight the best fight that night and we can do a lot better I know.”