The bombastic post-fight rhetoric between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao has continued to mount as talk of another pugilistic endeavor coalesces - it's now to the point where it's difficult to discern whether it's really leftover animosity from the previous engagement or preparatory barbs for the looming fisticuffs.
The latest insult was tossed by the notoriously cocky Mayweather, who suggested that instead of the two greats squaring off next time around, Mayweather should find another more qualified fighter to battle and Pacquiao should fight on his undercard.
"I look forward to, actually, since September's my last fight, I look forward to Pacquiao fighting on the undercard," said Mayweather, per GMANetwork.com.
"We could fight on pay-per-view on a doubleheader. I think we both can make some good money. He can fight somebody solid, I can fight somebody solid.
"Together, we can have some good numbers."
In the wake of his loss to Mayweather, it was revealed that Pacquiao required rotator cuff surgery - which he has since undergone - for an injury he allegedly suffered during training in the weeks leading up to the highly publicized fight.
Pacquiao has since accused Mayweather of finding out about the injury via a mole in his entourage and targeting it during the bout.
"You saw he was pulling my hand. He was doing that because he knew," Pacquiao told Rappler.com. "He was pulling it. He was holding me, then he was targeting this. I'm sure he found out. Somebody leaked it to him. They knew."
Mayweather, on the other hand, has since accused Pacquiao of making excuses.
While all the bickering would seem to point to the prospect of putting together a fight being even more difficult the second time around, the CEO of Pacquiao's promotion team, Bob Arum, feels differently.
"I think we now know what the pitfalls were," Arum said, per ESPN. "And, ultimately, with all the aggravation and trouble, look at the pot of gold that we both produced. I think there will probably be less aggravation in a rematch. We understand each other better now. There's a real possibility it could work even better."
