The rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao may be falling apart.
If it does, we should be glad.
In February, the streaming giant Netflix announced that the two would fight again on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, with Mayweather announcing around the same time that he was “resuming his boxing career” at age 49, having not competed in a sanctioned bout since 2017’s win over Conor McGregor.
But Mayweather is now insisting that a Pacquiao “rematch” would be an exhibition, and also
that The Sphere is not locked in as the venue.
Mayweather is also insisting that a planned exhibition with Mike Tyson is still going to happen, even though there’s been no solid word on a date or venue for that, and he’s also linked to an exhibition with Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, which has been discussed for June 27 in Athens.
With the way things stand now, Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 is looking a lot more unlikely.
The 47-year-old Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KO) has said in the past that he would only do a rematch with Mayweather (50-0, 27 KO) is it were a sanctioned fight, one that counts on your record, no special rules or glove sizes, no “everybody has fun and the fans see some old guys doing light sparring and nobody’s feelings have to be hurt at the end” stuff. The exhibition format had a little run for a few years in boxing circles, with Mayweather taking part in many of them across the world, cashing checks.
But that format’s appeal has also died down considerably, and even with two names as big as Mayweather and Pacquiao, you have to question if there’s enough interest in a “fake” fight between the two of them for Netflix to pony up the type of money the fighters desire.
Mayweather himself played a major role in running the concept into the ground, eventually asking his aging fan base for pay-per-view money through small-time formats to see him have corny exhibition displays with the likes of Don Moore, a friend of Mayweather’s who had no name value in combat sports. The exhibition well was gone to way too many times after the success of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr in late 2020, and Floyd made every cent he could off of the idea, to diminishing returns.
Pacquiao, who has also done a fair few exhibitions in recent years, made an actual return to boxing last July, fighting to a draw with then-WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios. There had been talk of the Filipino star facing WBA titleholder Rolly Romero at some point this year, but that went dry when the Mayweather move was announced. (Romero also says Pacquiao’s team were never serious in negotiations.)
All of this could work out and go on as planned, of course, but Mayweather’s track record over the last several years with this sort of thing could be generously called “spotty.” If he’s already taking this step back from what was originally announced — or trying to take that step back — it should cast serious doubt on the entire operation.
If the fight does fall through, or even if it does just get changed to an exhibition, critics will likely accuse of Mayweather of wanting to protect the “0” on his record.
Personally, I couldn’t care less if he’s fearful of losing that 50-0 mark or not. In a logical world, he shouldn’t be risking a record he earned, badly declined and 49 years of age, having not truly competed in nearly a decade, whether that’s against a similarly-deteriorated Pacquiao or anyone else.
Anyone serious about boxing as a sport should have dreaded watching limp versions of once-great fighters square off as they close in on AARP age. It might make for a good movie, but it’s highly unlikely to make for a good fight.
There’s nothing for the sport to truly gain by putting a spotlight on fighters with no future, and on matchups that cling to a past that seems better now with rose-tinted glasses, preying on our nostalgia and consistent belief that things were better when we were younger, whether that calls back to a time when we were children with no active responsibilities in life or just a time as adults when our hair was a little thicker.
How many people subscribe to Netflix in September is not any of my concern, and that’s about the only reason for the fight to happen at all. There’s no good sporting reason, and it’s never come off as some burning personal grudge, either, which is also an easy thing to sell. Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 is a business move, cold and calculated, nothing more. It has no substance in 2026 beyond being yet more “content.”
Here’s hoping it gets scrapped.
