Another return to the ring for Floyd Mayweather Jr. is likely, according to one of his recent sparring partners, but it probably won't be against a big-name opponent such as Manny Pacquiao.
Amidst growing numbers of photos and videos of Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) training in his Las Vegas gym, Denis Douglin — one of the fighters recruited to spar with "Money" — offered some insight on what exactly the undefeated multiple-time former world champion may be planning for next.
"One hundred percent. I think he could come back," Douglin told Vegas Insider.
“I don’t think he’ll come back and fight the top guys like Errol Spence, [Manny Pacquiao] or Terrence Crawford. But I do think he’ll come back and probably do some exhibition matches because he loves the sport and being a competitor.”
Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via decision in May 2015, finally providing a fight boxing fans had been waiting to see happen for several years.
Interestingly, Douglin wouldn't rule out another crossover attraction pitting Mayweather against a mixed martial arts star, such as in his 50th and most recent win against two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor.
"I do think this could happen, I think he's going to fight UFC guys," continued Douglin.
"It’s actually quite interesting because I'm left-handed and McGregor and Khabib are both left-handed, so him choosing to spar me, that might be the reason why.
"That's something someone said to me the other day, and I was like, 'You know what, that makes sense,' so it’s very possible.
"The Conor McGregor fight generated so much money, why not do something like that again or fight another UFC fighter if he's making millions of dollars?"
Douglin also opened up on how the sparring went, noting that Mayweather was massively improved from three years ago and probably could step into the ring with today's top welterweights at the age of 43, even if he chooses not to.
"The first three rounds were great work, still talking trash back and forth to each other, and then in the fourth round he said: ‘Let's turn the bell off, we're going to spar until you quit’.
"I was like: ‘Floyd, as much as I love you, if we turn this bell off and spar until I quit, we're going to be here all day because I'm never going to quit’. So he turned the bell off and we just sparred non-stop; no bell, no-one calling time, and we just worked, worked, worked. We were in there for like 30 minutes.
"I landed on him and it was very good sparring. The people that were there were saying we've never seen someone pushing Floyd that much. My mom was happy, Floyd was happy.
"The last time we sparred was probably three years ago for his exhibition match in Asia and I kind of felt like he was slowing down a little bit. This time he felt sharp, he felt strong, his stamina was great. It was almost like he's getting better.
"Everything that he’s going through in his life is making him more focused on boxing. I think he could still hang with the top guys. There's no reason to try because he's already proven himself, but if he wanted to, he could still do it. With Errol Spence at his best, Floyd can still compete with him 100 percent."