*Sighs, bows head and rubs temples with middle and ring fingers.* Okay, fine. Fine.
It’s the year 2026, and Floyd Mayweather is going to fight Manny Pacquiao again. Mayweather turned 48 on Tuesday (happy birthday) and Pacquiao is 47. This is happening, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it, so… let’s… Let’s just get into it, alright?
It should go without saying that this is a rematch about 10 years too late, one that makes even the first fight look timely. Because yes, Mayweather vs Pacquiao 1 was the most-lucrative fight in boxing history, but it was also years late itself.
Well, not for Mayweather, you could argue. When “Money” outpointed Pacquiao in 2015, the American and the Filipino broke the records for most pay-per-view sales (4.6m) and highest gate ($72.2m) – records that still stand today – showing there was still so much intrigue and hype for that showdown, yet there was a feeling among many that Mayweather had timed it to perfection to face an older, slower, broken-down Pacquiao.
Many had craved the bout for years but knew, deep down, there was a great chance that Mayweather would be able to stay out of danger against “Pac Man”, frustrating his fellow icon and a significant portion of the fans. This is not to dismiss Mayweather’s own fandom, but he himself would admit he weaponised and monetised ill will towards him, building a career on many viewers’ desperation for his downfall. “May-Pac” was the apex of this.
It ended with Mayweather winning a comfortable decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as Pacquiao – struggling with a shoulder injury, which would soon require surgery – failed to produce the finish that so many fans yearned for. There were accusations that he had deceived fans by not declaring the injury in advance; he and his team dismissed the idea that they had been dishonest. Pacquiao said he was denied a shoulder injection before the fight; Mayweather dismissed the idea that he needed one.
There was enough controversy to create some interest in a rematch, but once the year mark had passed – once Mayweather had reached 38, and Pacquiao 37 – there was little dispute that a second showdown would not be worth it. There had been murmurs over the past two years, but largely of an exhibition rematch.
But what’s that coming down the Strip? It’s the Sphere, bowling towards you at speed, wrapped in Mayweather and Pacquiao’s giant, pixelated faces, kicked into motion by a crowd of Netflix executives.
*Sighs, takes a breath.* So on 19 September, we will see Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2.
The news broke late on Monday, just three days after a truly stunning development in the boxing world: that Conor Benn was leaving his promoter Eddie Hearn, to join rival promoter Dana White. This was despite Hearn’s years of allegiance to the British star amid a controversial drug-test saga, during which the Matchroom boss lent Benn hundreds of thousands of pounds and went to bat for him time and again.
That news was genuinely jaw-dropping, barely comprehensible. So when rumours swirled on Monday that another big piece of boxing news would ensue, minds were sent racing. And then came the Mayweather vs Pacquiao announcement.
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For all of the layers that make the Benn story (which is still developing) so enthralling, one such layer is this: it is consequential. The same cannot be said of Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2.
Never mind that it will be a professional fight, instead of an exhibition; if Pacquiao is able to beat his old nemesis, it will simply be (here come those words again) too late. “I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” said Pacquiao on Monday, but there would still be those who would view Mayweather as technically undefeated, regardless of what happens at the Sphere.
To many, Mayweather’s last real pro fight will always be his stoppage of UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017, even though that fight itself was so contrived. In fact, there are those who would even dismiss the McGregor fight, and point to Mayweather’s preceding bout against Andre Berto.
The American has competed numerous times since facing McGregor, but solely in exhibitions, while Pacquiao ended a four-year absence from the pro game last summer, drawing with then-champion Mario Barrios in a WBC welterweight title fight.
The impressive nature of that performance, given the context, conjures faith that Pacquiao could win on 19 September. And for some fans, even now, that will be enough to make them watch.
Then there is the fact that the show will stream live on Netflix; when it is so easily accessible, when you’re not paying extra for the potential to be disappointed, you’re more likely to tune in. Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson showed that in 2024, and Paul vs Anthony Joshua proved it again in December.
The other X factor in all this is the Sphere. Even if you’re not easily sucked in by spectacle, the visuals that can be produced inside the domed Vegas venue are captivating, and they will be talked up in the build to May-Pac 2.
Will any of this be enough to convince you to watch? Believe us, we’re not trying to convince you. Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 is a fight no one asked for, and despite any other musings, that is the long and short of it.
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