Manny Pacquiao's brilliant return switches attentions to Floyd Mayweather rematch

Mayweather was ringside for the Filipino's return and, if Steve Bunce's gut instinct is anything to go by, Saturday night was but a prelude to the pair's rematch

Pacquiao celebrates with his WBO welterweight belt after a successful return to the ring (Getty)

The first fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather generated $600 million, took six years to get to the ring and was forgettable after three minutes.

Since that shambolic deal in May of last year in Las Vegas, when all that is vulgar about the boxing business was celebrated from dawn to dusk, the landscape has hardly shifted; Mayweather and his repetitive masterclasses are missed and finally Pacquiao is back and looking something like the fighter he was not when he fought Mayweather that night.

On Saturday night the two veterans exchanged smiles, nods and a thumbs-up tribute after Pacquiao had managed to turn the boxing clock, one of sport’s most unforgiving timepieces, back a few years with twelve rounds of something resembling the old Manny against Jessie Vargas. The fight was for the WBO welterweight belt, the 11th different piece of waist-jewellery that Pacquiao has acquired in 21 years as a professional, and Vargas knew when he signed and agreed $2.8 million for the fight that he was not going to leave the ring with the belt.

Mayweather was ringside, his pass courtesy of Pacquiao, and his cameo at a fight, which is rare, further enhanced three-months of rumours, which have included sightings of Mayweather sparring, snippets of conversations with Mayweather talking about ending his exile and many other purely invented incidents. Mayweather is the wealthiest boxer in history and even shopping trips to Milan with his autographed livery stuffed with millions of dollars and whole days hiring the entire camel herd at the pyramids will not hurt his stockpile.

Manny, by contrast, tends to give away most of his wealth to the Filipino people that love, adore and worship him. He has been a senator a year, a hero for 15 and the kid that left home when his father cooked his pet dog has no real love of money. Mayweather has a deep love of folding green and cash is his only vice.

Pacquiao often looked brilliant against Vargas, dropping the kid in the second with the type of punch that ruined Ricky Hatton in 2009 and winning widely on points. Mayweather studied every second and will no doubt watch it back again and again to assess just how much Pacquiao has left. Mayweather will never and has never taken a risk, which is why he never moved up seven pounds in weight to fight the Kazak Gennady Golovkin.

Mayweather is also smart, another reason to avoid Golovkin, and will know that the Pacquiao he so easily outpointed last year was lame on the night. The decision on a second fight will have nothing to do with Pacquiao, who is talking boldly of less financially rewarding fights, and everything to do with Mayweather and the decreasing cabal of men that he listens to. My gut feeling, having been a veteran observer through six years of insults, promises and debacle, and then 12 rounds of tiresome safety-first pugilism, is that they will fight again.

Pacquiao throws a right during his excellent defeat of Vargas (Getty)

Mayweather is 40 next February, Pacquiao 37 now and the window is May next year. There is talk of Pacquiao fighting light-welterweight Terrence Crawford or even super-featherweight Vasyl Lomachenko; they are terrific fighters but the risk versus reward ratio for both is not high enough. Pacquiao is not driven by money, but revenge has motivated him since he was a homeless and dogless child.

The enthusiasm by Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s cornerman, and Bob Arum, the boxer’s promoter, for either a Lomachenko or a Crawford fight reeks of a diversionary tactic. The second fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is coming soon, it will generate the same type of money and it will, thankfully, be a much better fight.