Although the camp of Manny Pacquiao seemed to have given up the prospect of a rematch between the Filipino superstar and Floyd Mayweather Jr., a boxing legend believes the rematch should be made.

Sugar Ray Leonard said fans will still watch the bout even if the boxers are past 40.

"It'd be a great fight. Put it this way, it should be done," said Leonard in an interview with TMZ.

"People will watch it."

Leonard also believes the bout will be different compared to the first encounter where Pacquiao settled for a decision loss after fighting with a bum right shoulder.

"When I was 40, I came back and I don't know who was the guy. I don't care who was the guy. But you have a different state in your life, spiritually, physically, mentally," said the boxing legend.

"It will help boxing, in a crazy way."

• READ: 'No possibility' of Floyd rematch, says Pacquiao aide

Leonard also pointed out that Pacquiao looked great in his most recent fight where he convincingly defeated erstwhile unbeaten champion Keith Thurman.

"Manny looked phenomenal in his last fight," he said.

If there's one person who opposes the Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch, that's Thurman.

“At the end to the day, nobody wants to see it,” Thurman said in Ring News 24. “Why they want to see it? All they’re going to talk about is how much money they can make, how big the fight is."

“I’m not saying you can’t promote the fight, but real fight fans know, it ain’t gonna be more exciting then what Keith Thurman just did (against Pacquiao).”

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)