Floyd Mayweather reportedly abandoned plans for an exhibition fight in China in order to negotiate a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather outpointed Pacquiao in 2015 with both fighters since expressing an interest in a second installment.
Pacquiao remains an active boxer having beaten Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman this year but Mayweather's last fight came against UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017.
The undefeated ring legend had been due to formally announce an exhibition bout in China in September but those plans were abandoned.
And Hong Kong's DEF Promotions director Jay Lau told The Sun : 'Mayweather came two times to Hong Kong, he spoke with my son Jayson and we had communications but now he is focusing [on] the Pacquiao rematch.
"We were talking about an exhibition in China, a big event but not a recorded professional boxing fight. Something like Mayweather vs Tenshin in Japan.
"We spoke a bit about doing a special fight in China, but halfway through he turned to the Pacquiao rematch so we stopped."
Mayweather staged an exhibition bout on New Year's Eve last year as he stopped kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round.
Mayweather earned £7million for less than three minutes' work but would earn another nine figures if he were to fight Pacquiao again.
Last month the Filipino told The National : "My people are talking to his people, they’re talking to each other.
"We don’t know what the developments are, because I don’t have an update yet."
Pacquiao is likely to return to the ring early next year with Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia among the candidates as opponents.
