Floyd Mayweather has confirmed he wants to take a ‘warm-up’ bout in Tokyo before returning to face old rival Manny Pacquiao in their much anticipated rematch.

Mayweather, 41, called out the Philippine fighter last weekend, claiming he would come out of retirement for a repeat of their 2015 blockbuster fight.

After defeating Conor McGregor last year, ‘Money’ Mayweather announced his in-ring retirement from boxing with a perfect 50-0 record.

It now seems that the American is willing to step between the ropes again for the hugely exciting bout against Pacquiao.

The original plan was for the two showstoppers to face-off before the end of 2018, but according to TMZ, sources close to Mayweather’s camp suggest he will look to have a warm-up fight to shake off any potential ring rust against a less well-known opponent.

The warm-up fight is believed to be taking place in Tokyo, Japan, and will be the first time that self-proclaimed ‘Pretty Boy’ has competed in a professional fight outside of the United States.

TMZ also report that the 41-year-old is looking at MMA fighters and kick-boxers as potential opponents, although McGregor's name has not been mentioned as a possible option.

On Monday, Pacquiao revealed details of the sensational rematch would be finalised this week, and he named Tokyo as a possible location for the fight.

The Philippine fighter also revealed that Mayweather pitched the potential idea to him at a concert the two visited on Friday in the Japanese capital city.

Whilst the unbeaten American Mayweather has nothing to prove, Pacquiao has unfinished business with the 41-year-old after losing in the previous mega-fight in 2015.

The motivation of the fight for the two fighters is as of yet unknown, with Pacquiao now the Senator of the Philippines, whilst Mayweather risks losing his unblemished professional boxing record, although he will gain another substantial payday.

The unbeaten 41-year-old announced the fight on his social media platforms, saying: “I’m coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year.

“Another 9 figure pay day on the way @Mayweatherpromotions."

All that remains to be seen is if the two mega-star fighters agree on the fight, and whether Mayweather, and potentially Pacquiao, have at least one warm-up fight beforehand to sharpen their in-ring skills.