Carl Froch believes Floyd Mayweather’s fight against Manny Pacquiao 2 is “more stimulating” than their first clash, with the American hoping to avoid a “stain on his legacy”.

Their welterweight bout in 2015 resulted in a clear unanimous decision victory for Mayweather, who largely controlled the proceedings with sharper moves and defensive nous.

However, it was later revealed that Pacquiao had suffered a shoulder injury during training camp, which only added to the frustration that their clash had come far too overdue.

Although statistically it is the highest-grossing boxing event of all time, most believe it fell miniature of expectations and was considered the “fight of the century”.

As for their rematch, which will take place on September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect from both Hall of Famers.

This is mainly because Mayweather hasn’t fought professionally since 2017, when he secured the title. Victory in the 10th round against Conor McGregor.

In turn, in July, Pacquiao drew with Mario Barrios, the then WBC welterweight world champion, proving that he is still able to maintain a high pace.

For this reason, Froch further stated his YouTube channel that Mayweather must be careful not to lose his undefeated record – which currently stands at 50-0 (27 KOs) – or risk diluting his legacy.

“This fight is probably a little more stimulating than their first fight because Mayweather is still undefeated – he still remains lively [in the gym] – but Manny Pacquiao just went 12 rounds to a draw with Barrios.

“So Manny Pacquiao can obviously fight some more. Mayweather has to be careful because if he gets beaten, he will lose his undefeated record and that will be a petite stain on his legacy. He is one of the greatest champions of all time.”

While Mayweather is risking his legacy to some extent by jeopardizing his undefeated record, many believe he ultimately has enough left in the tank to beat Pacquiao again.

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Najee Lopez (16-0, 13 KO) survived a knockout to stop Manuel Gallegos (22-4-1, 19 KO) at 2:41 of the eighth round on Friday night at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.

The victory gave Lopez the WBA Continental Americas and WBO Latino featherlight heavyweight belts.

Gallegos took action early. The Mexican fighter moved forward, throwing hooks and body shots, forcing Lopez to fight in close quarters. The pace remained high throughout the opening rounds as both men traded strikes from close range.

The fight reached its climax in the seventh round. Gallegos dropped Lopez during a heated exchange, but Lopez quickly got back up and landed heavier punches before the round ended.

By eight, Gallegos was still moving forward, but he was hitting cleaner shots. Lopez got back to his feet, unleashed combinations and eventually drove Gallegos into the corner before landing punches that forced a stoppage.

“It just shows that I am a real champion and I will stay here,” Lopez said after the fight. “I want to prove it every time I step into the ring. He was the best possible version of himself. I fought a real champion tonight.”

Lopez also admitted that Gallegos put pressure on the fight.

“It’s a hard country,” Lopez said. “As soon as I caught him, I had no intention of letting him go. It was 100% a test and I feel like I passed it.”

Dominic Valle overtakes Eduardo Ramirez

Dominic Valle (13-0, 7 KO) defeated Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez (29-6-3, 14 KO) by unanimous decision in the ten-round super featherweight co-main gala.

Ramirez controlled most of the early action, pushing forward and forcing Valle to box out as he moved. The veteran knocked out Valle in the fifth round with a hook, then Valle responded later in the round with an uppercut that shocked Ramirez.

Valle’s right eye began to swell in the middle rounds, but he remained dynamic in the body and had his greatest success in the seventh and eighth rounds. In the final round, Ramirez pressed difficult, throwing combinations to the head and body.

The judges twice awarded Valle scores of 96-94 and 98-92.

Dante Benjamin overtakes Angela Lozano

Lithe heavyweight Dante Benjamin (14-0-1, 9 KO) defeated Angel Lozano (8-1, 6 KO) by eight-round unanimous decision.

Benjamin began to find his range in the fourth round with long punches and straight right hands. Lozano had moments in the sixth over with his own punch, but Benjamin finished off a stronger player later in the period.

The judges scored the fight 80-72, 78-74 and 77-75.

Delvin McKinley outperforms Christian Chessa

Delvin McKinley (14-5-1, 13 KO) won a majority decision over Christian Chessa (6-1, 6 KO) in a six-round fight between hefty punches.

McKinley hurt Chessa in the second round with an uppercut that caused swelling under the Italian’s left eye. Chessa tried to box and counter punch in the middle rounds, but McKinley’s pressure carried the final rounds.

The judges scored the fight twice, 57-57 and 58-56 for McKinley.

Kenyan Valle is ahead of Ring Dudo

Kenyan Valle (3-0, 1 KO) opened the broadcast with a six-round unanimous decision over Anel Dudo (4-7-1, 1 KO).

Valle started attacking with combinations after a cautious first round and gradually took control with cleaner punches. Dudo had moments of pressure and an uppercut that briefly worried Valle, but the younger fighter’s accuracy secured the decision.

The judges scored the fight 59-55, 59-55 and 60-54.

One man who knows what it’s like to share the ring with both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has revealed his thoughts on the duo’s strength.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are considered two of the greatest boxers of all time, and each had remarkable careers.

Their success led to an iconic battle in May 2015, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, and more than a decade later they will meet again when they collide on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

A legendary fighter who has faced each of them is Oscar De La Hoya, who suffered a split decision loss to Mayweather in May 2007 and an eighth-round retirement defeat to “PacMan” in his last fight in December 2008.

In the restored clipDe La Hoya broke down both men’s ability to punch each other, admitting there isn’t much between them.

“We all know Mayweather isn’t known for punching demanding. It hurts. I’d say they’re about the same. It’s amusing because I didn’t feel Pacquiao’s punch. He didn’t do anything to me, so I didn’t really feel his punch.”

“They hit the same. The only difference is Pacquiao can really knock you out, but he has to land the perfect punch and Pacquiao doesn’t have as good a timing as Mayweather.

“It’s a different speed because Mayweather is a guy who has one quick shot. Pacquiao will throw four five six seven punches that rapid. I think both guys could be the same, otherwise I would have to go with Pacquiao.”

Time will tell if there will be a knockout when the two legends meet again in September.