Floyd Mayweather Rematch Looms, Manny Pacquiao Signs With Al Haymon's PBC

Manny Pacquiao has officially signed with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions stable which paves the way for a lucrative Floyd Mayweather rematch.

Pacquiao was previously a free agent but will now be able to close out his career fighting some of the top fighters in America.

"My team will work closely with Al Haymon for the remainder of my career to deliver the most anticipated fights with the top PBC fighters," Pacquiao said in a statement. "Those are the fights the fans want to see and the ones I want to have to close out my career."

According to Haymon, Pacquiao will first be defending his World Boxing Association welterweight title before a potential Mayweather fight.

"Pacquiao's first defence of the World Boxing Association welterweight world title will kick off the new partnership," Haymon's PBC said in a statement. "The new alliance will have team Pacquiao and Haymon work together to navigate the remainder of his illustrious career."

Although nothing is official, it is expected that the 39-year-old will defend his newly-won title against Adrien Broner, with Pacquiao expecting a Jan. 12 or Jan. 19 date. He also recently mentioned Mayweather fighting in December.

"Floyd is going to fight on December 31 and I'm going to fight January 12," Pacquiao said last week. "After that, we'll know. ... He's coming back, we'll discuss it after Broner."

Of course, it was last month when rumors of a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch really started dominating the headlines. The two legends met in Tokyo and posted on their respective social media channels that their rematch would take place with a potential December date.

Mayweather, who retired for the third time last year after his win over Conor McGregor, later hinted at a potential tune-up fight in Tokyo, which could be what Pacquiao is referring to with the Dec. 31 date.

The American has also recently brought up the possibility of fighting UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a boxing match but that's likely to just be an attention grab.

But with Pacquiao now under Haymon, who is notably a longtime adviser for Mayweather, their lucrative rematch has taken one step closer to becoming a reality.

According to a SPIN.ph report from earlier this month, should Pacquaio defeat Broner, it will pave the way for their rematch to take place in May, with the location likely to be Las Vegas.

Their first meeting also took place in May in Las Vegas three years ago and was a huge financial success with 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, a record which still stands today, and over $410 million in revenue generated.

However, the contest as a whole between the two underwhelmed everyone who tuned in with Mayweather winning a dull unanimous decision as it emerged after the fight that Pacquiao had been dealing with a shoulder injury.