Manny Pacquiao Next Fight News: ‘Pacman’ Could Still Earn A Shot Against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

By John Santisteban | Sep 29, 2014 11:20 PM EDT

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Floyd Mayweather recently took a swipe at Manny Pacquiao, creating speculation again that the super fight the fans have been longing for will not happen at all.

But for boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, the megabuck fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather will eventually happen because both fighters know that importance of making history.

In an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, Leonard said that Pacquiao and Mayweather will settle their differences to stage the fight not only because of the money that they could get, but the overall impact the fight will have on their respective careers.

"It's more than just the money," Leonard said via ESPN. "Because the money will be there. It's the legacy. They should fight."

Mayweather has made it known that he intends to have two more fights next year before finally hanging up his gloves, and Leonard believes that facing and defeating Pacquiao will be the perfect way for Mayweather to end his career.

"If Mayweather fought Pacquiao that would be the best encore to his career. Do we still want to see it? No question about it. The fight would generate so much money," Leonard said via Tha Boxing Voice.

Most fans are convinced, though, that Mayweather will avoid facing Pacquiao in a super fight, fearing that the Filipino boxing icon could hand him the first defeat of his career. But for Leonard, having a perfect record could mean nothing if he decides not to face his main rival.

"Sometimes these guys believe it's about an undefeated record but it's not," Leonard said. "It's about showing up to fight, and every now and then moving up a notch and raising the bar. People don't want to see a fight where they know who is going to win. I always wanted to be undefeated, but with the mentality of I am going to kick everyone's butts."

And if the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao super fight happens, Leonard believes that the unbeaten champion will be a heavy favorite to win against the former pound-for-pound king.

"Mayweather vs. Pacquiao used to be a 50/50 fight until Pacquiao suffered a devastating KO from the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez," Leonard said. "Mayweather is a very technically sound boxer and Pacquiao is still gifted with hand speed. The issue is Pacquiao may have gotten a bit gun shy as a result of being knocked out."

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