Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: Nostalgia or Scam? Analysis of the Comeback on Alofoke Deportes

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao announced on Monday that they will face each other on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, in a global broadcast via Netflix. This event, which promised to be epic, arrives years late, generating a feeling of disappointment and nostalgia for what could have been. The fight, presented as an attempt to generate income based on nostalgia, is a reflection of the current situation in boxing, where even figures with brilliant careers seem to desperately need more money. Mayweather, with 49 years old, and Pacquiao, with 47, should have starred in several fights in their prime, creating a series that would go down in history. Instead, fans were left wanting to see two of the best of their generation competing for the title of best. The wait for a showdown that promised to be of the Ali-Frazier caliber was frustrated by various circumstances, including politics and caution, which prevented it from materializing between 2010 and 2012. The long-awaited fight finally took place in 2015, with Mayweather defeating Pacquiao by unanimous decision in a match that disappointed many. Despite setting box office records due to high demand, the spectacle did not meet expectations. Now, we are facing a sequel to a mediocre movie.

“Floyd and I gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history. The fans have waited long enough, they deserve this rematch,” Pacquiao declared.

Manny Pacquiao

The “biggest” in terms of revenue, not quality. True boxing fans deserve better, as few, if any, were asking for this rematch.

The first fight generated approximately 400 million dollars, but despite those earnings and others accumulated throughout their careers, both boxers seem to be in financial trouble. Mayweather, who earned around one billion dollars throughout his career, was recently sued by a Miami jeweler for bounced checks in an alleged luxury purchase of 1.675 million dollars.

This could be the motivation behind this fight, as well as an exhibition match on April 25 against Mike Tyson, 59, which is reported to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mayweather doesn’t need 26 Rolexes to know that time is running out. At its best, boxing offers a unique thrill, with anticipation, danger, and an intense build-up that has captivated audiences for centuries. However, the sport has become a spectacle of fantasy, with few emerging stars and too many circus acts posing as real, selling an illusion that vanishes when the bell rings.

Despite some notable moments, the best current boxers struggle to stand out, at least in the United States.

Oleksandr Usyk, the undefeated heavyweight champion and ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, remains largely unknown outside of boxing, with his fights primarily held in Europe and Saudi Arabia. Naoya Inoue, No. 2, is a whirlwind in junior featherweight and a four-division champion, but he suffers the same fate, competing mainly outside of Japan, where he is one of the country’s most popular athletes. Terence “Bud” Crawford retired. Canelo Álvarez is in the final phase of his career. It is the women, with Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, and Amanda Serrano, who have stood out. In the United States, Jake Paul has cleverly taken advantage of this void, satisfying the demand for big fights, even risking his own jaw. Although this generates commercial success and attention, it does not represent high-level boxing. The popularity of combat sports has always depended on the rise and fall of great stars and personalities. Boxing has gone through difficult times before, but there has always been the belief that a new wave of talent, charisma, and rivalry would arrive. However, in recent times, the downward trend has become more pronounced. The mechanisms for turning boxers into household names have weakened. Alternative entertainment options have multiplied. The worst thing about Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 is not that it happens, but that it could happen, as there are not enough compelling fights or must-see boxers for which the market is prepared for such a shameless spectacle. The problem is that sports can’t offer The Sphere and Netflix anything real. Instead, we get the sequel that no one asked for, born from an original that arrived too late, with two middle-aged men who, apparently, have squandered enough fortunes that, like the sport they once dominated, have no other options.