Former world champion Andre Berto, who fought Floyd Mayweather in 2015, has offered a prediction for the American’s rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
The two all-time greats are set to collide in a professional ring on September 25, over a decade removed from Mayweather’s unanimous decision victory in their first encounter.
Back then, ‘Money’ produced a largely dominant performance against ‘Pac Man’, who later claimed that he had sustained a shoulder injury during his training camp.
In any case, their showdown was widely criticised for arriving too late in their respective careers, despite it becoming the most lucrative boxing event of all time.
Similar frustrations have therefore been expressed about their rematch, with Mayweather and Pacquiao having reached the age of 49 and 47, respectively.
With Mayweather agreeing to put his 50-0 record on the line, though, there is at least some jeopardy attached to his decision to come out of retirement.
The five-division world champion has not fought professionally since 2017, back when he scored a one-sided 10th-round finish over UFC star Conor McGregor.
This followed his unanimous decision victory over Berto in 2015, with Mayweather’s former foe expecting him to once again outpoint Pacquiao later this year.
Berto revealed his prediction in an interview with TMZ, while also acknowledging the fact that both combatants are well past their primes.
“I think that’s the only [factor] that’s going to make this fight really interesting – [Mayweather] putting his record on the line.
“At the end of the day, Pacquiao’s older [and] Floyd’s older, so y’all can’t expect nothing crazy.
“[But] I think Floyd might end up doing the same thing [winning on points]. He’s a little older but he still has that bag of experience and knowledge.”
While Mayweather won their first fight in comprehensive fashion, his lack of activity could represent a telling factor against Pacquiao, who held Mario Barrios to a 12-round draw last July.