Manny Pacquiao says that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. before he retires, possibly sometime next year.
Pacquiao, 34, faces relatively untested Chris Algieri on November 23.
But provided he wins, a number of fans and analysts believe that the long awaited Pacquiao vs Mayweather could happen in 2015.
Pacquiao’s side has been especially confident, alternating between saying negotiations are going smoothly and needling Mayweather with insults.
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said just this week that Mayweather “is reluctant to fight Manny Pacquiao.”
“If people don’t see that by now, they’re never gonna see it,” he added.
Pacquiao asserted this week that he has a lot left and has not set a date of retirement.
“As long as my skills and my passion remain strong I want to continue my boxing career. When I retire, I want it to be on my terms. I do not want to spend my retirement regretting that I walked away from boxing before I was ready. I do not want to come back and fight after I retire,” Pacquiao said.
“I have not set a date or determined an age when I will retire. As long as I can keep fighting at the level I expect from myself I will continue my boxing career.”
But he emphasized that his one goal before he retires “is to give the boxing fans the fight they have always asked for [with Floyd Mayweather Jr].”
