Floyd Mayweather Jr has refused to rule out an exhibition boxing match with Manny Pacquiao in Japan later this year.

"Next year, I hope to see you here in Japan with a big fight against…", Pacquiao said at RIZIN 45 as he looked over to RIZIN chief executive Nobuyiki Sakakibara.

"Floyd Mayweather," Sakakibara announced.

"I thought that you didn't want me to say that," Pacquiao chuckled.

“When Manny Pacquiao spoke about that, he shouldn't have,” Mayweather told the Pivot Podcast. “I'm not gonna say he's right and I'm not gonna say he's wrong. Just by him saying my name they gave me a cheque for $4million. But remember – he got famous because they said he could be the guy that could possibly dethrone the king. Did it happen? Absolutely not. Was it easy? Absolutely.”

Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via a routine unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2015. Mayweather retired soon after outboxing the mixed martial artist Conor McGregor in 2017. He has since participated in numerous exhibition fights – including two with Japanese promoters RIZIN.

“I'm really still the face of boxing,” Mayweather added. “I'm appreciative for guys like ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard – so many guys who paved the way for me. But there's only one Floyd Mayweather. These fighters are not better than me.

“Young fighters, coaches and managers say, 'Oh you're better than Floyd, you're better than Floyd'. That's good; that's motivation for the fighter; you can tell him that. But deep in his heart? He don't believe that.”