LAS VEGAS -- Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. is making plans for his return to the ring.

Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather's close advisers, told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Mayweather plans to fight twice in 2013, both on the Mexican holiday weekends that typically are target dates for major fights.

"Floyd has told us that he is fighting twice in 2013 with the first date being May 4 -- Cinco De Mayweather -- and the second date being Sept. 14," Ellerbe said.

"Mayweather Promotions is looking forward to these two gigantic Floyd Mayweather events in 2013, and we are in ongoing discussions with our promotional partner, Richard Schaefer (chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions) in finalizing the opponent and other aspects of the upcoming promotion."

Ellerbe said both fights would take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Mayweather has fought his past six fights. Mayweather also lives in Las Vegas.

Ellerbe's announcement came on the same day of the final news conference promoting Manny Pacquiao's fourth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

A Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown, of course, is the fight fans have been calling for the past few years, but it has gone unmade. Both sides have been handed blame at different points in multiple failed negotiations.

Ellerbe said Mayweather told him and fellow adviser Al Haymon in a recent telephone conversation to begin planning the May fight.

"He told me and Al this is what he is doing," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs), who turns 36 in February, last fought May 5, scoring a unanimous decision against Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto to win a junior middleweight world title to go with the welterweight crown he also holds.

A few weeks after the fight, Mayweather reported to jail to serve a three-month sentence at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas on a domestic abuse conviction. He served about two months of the sentence before he was released for good behavior.

Prior to facing Cotto, Mayweather had said he wanted to fight a second time in 2012, but nothing ever came of it after he was released from jail. Now, Mayweather is ready to fight, Ellerbe said.

"He's been in the gym. Floyd is always keeping his body in shape doing something because he's a great athlete and that's what great athletes do," Ellerbe said.