Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II: The Rematch in Las Vegas
More than a decade after their first clash in May 2015, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are preparing for a second encounter. The rematch is scheduled for September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on Netflix.
This fight will mark Mayweather’s return to professional competition since he defeated Conor McGregor in August 2017. For his part, Pacquiao has remained active, accumulating a record of 5-2-1 in eight fights since his first encounter with Mayweather.
Mayweather, who turned 49 on Tuesday, announced last September that he would face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 59, in an exhibition fight scheduled for this spring. Pacquiao, 47, retired after losing by decision to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, but returned in July to challenge then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, achieving a majority draw. He also has an exhibition scheduled against former welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in Las Vegas.
Despite both boxers being past their prime, the rematch could be more entertaining than their first encounter.
“The main thing people want to know is that this is not an exhibition, it’s a real fight,” said Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions.
Sean Gibbons
Here’s a look at the reasons why this fight is happening now and what fans can expect from this highly anticipated match.
Why are Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting again now?
Although Mayweather and Pacquiao are 49 and 47 years old respectively, the boxing landscape has experienced a seismic shift that has made a rematch, a decade after their first encounter, much more attractive than it seemed at the time. Jake Paul has been largely responsible for this.
Paul’s 2024 face-off with Mike Tyson drew a massive live global audience of 108 million viewers on Netflix. The fact that so many people tuned in to watch a YouTuber-turned-boxer take on a 58-year-old former heavyweight champion opened the floodgates for similar matchups where fighters could earn a large sum of money without relying on the number of pay-per-view purchases they sold.
It was always going to be difficult to sell a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch after their initial encounter in 2015. Although it broke pay-per-view and revenue records, the fight itself disappointed, as Mayweather won by unanimous decision. Pacquiao sought a rematch, but Mayweather didn’t need it. He retired just two years later, after his fight with MMA superstar Conor McGregor.
Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) announced in the fall that he would come out of retirement to face Tyson in an exhibition that would take place in April, and now he has changed his mind about his stance of not facing Pacquiao again. Much of the reason for this is the enormous amount of money that can be generated with the fight, and the other factor is that this is the best option for Mayweather to win without risking his undefeated record against a young superstar in his prime.
And with Netflix now entrenched in combat sports, last year’s Paul vs. Tyson boxing match was a huge success, and last week the streaming service secured another dream fight between retired fighters, former MMA champion Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 can aim for new heights.
While both fighters are nearing 50 years old, their names still carry significant weight. Netflix’s marketing machine will ensure this fight maximizes its audience and is the biggest boxing event of the year.
What happened the last time Mayweather and Pacquiao fought?
The Mayweather-Pacquiao 1 happened about five years too late, after many failed negotiations that fell apart over everything from drug tests to the division of the prize. During that delay, Pacquiao went from being an unstoppable force to a vulnerable veteran, suffering a surprising decision loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. and a shocking knockout to Juan Manuel Márquez in their fourth fight. By the time Mayweather and Pacquiao finally stepped into the ring in 2015, it was evident that Mayweather was still operating at a high level, with victories over Canelo Álvarez and twice against the strong puncher Marcos Maidana, while Pacquiao was no longer the force of nature that had dominated the sport from 2005 to 2011. Still, the anticipation was undeniable and led to a record-breaking night, with the event breaking numerous boxing records with a box office of $72.2 million and $410 million in revenue from 4.6 million pay-per-view purchases. The fight itself was a one-sided affair that Mayweather controlled from the first bell with a classic performance behind a sharp jab. The scorecards indicated the lack of drama, as Mayweather won 118-110, 116-112, and 116-112.
Pacquiao complained after a shoulder injury during training camp hampered him in the fight, and sought a rematch. He was denied so far.
What can we expect from the rematch?
It’s hard to say. Mayweather hasn’t fought a consequential opponent with a legitimate boxing pedigree since he faced Andre Berto in 2015. Since then, he has faced an MMA fighter (McGregor) and had exhibition matches against YouTubers (Logan Paul and Deji Olatunji), a reality show personality (Aaron Chalmers), the grandson of a notorious mafia boss (John Gatti III), an in-trade boxer (Don Moore), and a kickboxer (Tenshin Nasukawa) in the last decade. And while he has always been in impeccable physical shape, age will certainly have some influence on his skills.
Pacquiao has been more active over the years with victories over Adrien Broner, Keith Thurman, Lucas Matthysse, Jessie Vargas, and Bradley since he lost against Mayweather. He has also lost against Jeff Horn and Yordenis Ugas, with his last fight being the majority draw against Barrios. He is no longer the whirlwind of punches that overwhelmed the opposition almost two decades ago, but he is still in exceptional shape at 47 years old.
While neither fighter will be at their physical peak, they will be on an equal footing with respect to age, which could make for an entertaining fight. However, if Mayweather is close to the same defensive wizard and brilliant ring tactician he was when he dismantled Pacquiao in their first encounter, the fight could end up being another dud. But if there is any credibility to Pacquiao’s claims that a shoulder injury hampered him in the first fight, he may put on a better offensive display.
Will there be drug tests for this fight?
Currently, there is no information available regarding drug testing for the fight. Contact was made with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday night, and a response is pending.
Who is promoting this fight?
The fight will be co-promoted by Manny Pacquiao Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, in association with CSI Sports/Fight Sports, which signed a multi-year deal with Mayweather after his announcement that he would resume his professional career.
Have there been other sporting events at Sphere?
The $2.3 billion entertainment venue near the Las Vegas Strip, with its spherical design and immersive video and audio capabilities, has been primarily used for concerts since it opened in 2023. But the UFC held its pay-per-view event Noche UFC there on September 14, 2024, headlined by a championship fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. According to the UFC, the event had production costs that exceeded $20 million. UFC CEO Dana White said it was “one and done.” To date, it is the only sporting event that has been held at Sphere.
In what place will this fight be classified in terms of revenue and what will the prizes be?
It is not yet known how much each fighter will earn, nor how their respective agreements are structured, and it may take some time before those figures are released. However, Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 could break records as the most-watched sporting event in history, a distinction currently held by Paul-Tyson with 108 million global viewers. This rematch could also attempt to improve on the massive box office of their previous fight.
Mayweather-Pacquiao 1 still holds the record for the largest Las Vegas box office in boxing history, with $72.2 million. Mayweather also holds the number 2 spot, with $55.4 million in ticket sales for his fight against McGregor.
Regarding the payouts, according to reports, Mayweather earned between $200 and $250 million for the first Pacquiao fight, while “PacMan” earned approximately between $120 and $150 million. Their payouts may land in the same area considering the high expected cost of an entry. The UFC’s incursion into Sphere saw ticket prices ranging from $674 to over $44,000, with an average ticket price hovering between $1,000 and $3,000. Mayweather-Pacquiao 1 had tickets with a face value ranging from $1,500 to $7,500, but exploded on the secondary market with some front-row seat tickets reaching over $22,000.
In a nutshell, there’s a lot of money to be made from this fight.
