Floyd Mayweather ditched exhibition fight in China to focus on making rematch with Manny Pacquiao

FLOYD MAYWEATHER put the brakes on an exhibition bout in China this year to negotiate a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

SunSport can reveal the 42-year-old ring legend held talks in June about taking part in another non-professional fight.

Mayweather retired in 2017 after defeating UFC star Conor McGregor but laced up the gloves a year later to face Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve.

The American great made £7million for his one-round demolition of Asian superstar Nasukawa, who was left in tears after the fight, and looked set for another huge pay-day in 2019 by taking part in a similar fight.

Hong Kong’s DEF Promotions director and promoter Jay Lau told SunSport in Tokyo that they met twice with Mayweather earlier this year to try and make a fight happen.

However, Money halted plans for a second exhibition, for now, to first rematch Pacquiao.

Lau said: “Mayweather came two times to Hong Kong, he spoke with my son Jayson and we had communications but now he is focussing the Pacquiao rematch.

“We were talking about an exhibition in China, a big event but not a recorded professional boxing fight. Something like Mayweather vs Tenshin in Japan.

“We spoke a bit about doing a special fight in China, but half way through he turned to the Pacquiao rematch so we stopped.”

Mayweather outpointed PacMan in May 2015 in a tactical and dull affair that left fans underwhelmed having waited five years for the clash.

The former pound-for-pound king revealed in September he planned to return to Tokyo and was willing to give his welterweight rival a second fight – but not a professional contest.

Pacquiao rolled back the clock to outsmart Keith Thurman in July to claim the WBA welterweight title and the Filipino icon insisted his current from, at age 40, would be wasted in an exhibition showdown.

However, Mayweather, who was a favourite with Nevada casino chiefs throughout his career, is looking to cash in on the new bookies landing in Japan next year.

The Japanese government announced in February they are attempting to compete with regional rivals including Macau, Singapore and South Korea with planned casinos to be built in 2020.

And promoter Lau – who has twice worked with Top Rank boss Bob Arum – is happy to revisit promoting Mayweather’s next exhibition bout until the Pacquiao rematch takes place – which he predicts will come with the grand opening of a brand new casino.

He said: “I’ll let him do his thing with Manny, the rematch is the biggest thing that can happen, so why bother with the exhibition bout first?

“If that happens we will stop everything and let him do his thing first. I hope it does happen, it could be a big possibility that fight is the grand opening for the Japan casinos.

“The only thing I will say is he’s expensive, so we have to work really hard to get him back over to Asia – the offer is not easy.”