Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Rematch set for Las Vegas this September

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face each other again in a long-awaited rematch this September at the Sphere, Netflix announced. The fight will be shown live on Netflix on September 19.The two boxing legends, now in their late forties, first fought in 2015 in the “Fight of the Century.” Mayweather won that match on points, earning an estimated $300 million, and the fight made more than $600 million overall. It also set a record with 4.6 million pay-per-view buys.

Mayweather retired from professional boxing in 2017 with an unbeaten record of 50 fights, but he has continued to take part in exhibition matches, including an upcoming fight against Mike Tyson.Pacquiao, a multiple world champion, retired for four years starting in 2021 to run for president of the Philippines. He returned to boxing last year.Pacquiao said fans have waited long enough for this rematch, and both fighters remain huge draws in the sport."Floyd and I gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history. The fans have waited long enough -- they deserve this rematch," said Pacquiao, 47, in a joint statement.

'One loss'Rumors of a Mayweather vs Pacquiao rematch have been around for years. Interest spiked after Mayweather announced last week that he is coming out of retirement to fight professionally again this year."I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result," said Mayweather, in the statement."I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him," said Pacquiao.This fight will be the first professional boxing match ever held at the Sphere, a venue mainly used for concerts and movies. Opened in 2023, it features a huge 160,000-square-foot wraparound screen inside.The bout will be broadcast worldwide on Netflix, which has around 325 million subscribers. Netflix has recently been expanding into live sports, including a super middleweight fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Álvarez in Las Vegas last September, which was watched by 41 million people.The platform also streamed controversial fights featuring YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024, and versus Anthony Joshua last December. While these matches were criticized for being underwhelming, they attracted massive global attention.'Glory'Nicknamed “Money,” Floyd Mayweather is a former multi-weight world champion and was once the world’s highest-paid athlete.

His last professional fight was in 2017 against UFC star Conor McGregor.The 48-year-old American has often been controversial, criticized for a highly defensive style and accused of avoiding the toughest opponents to protect his record. He has also served time in prison for one of several domestic violence incidents.Manny Pacquiao, known as “PacMan” or “The National Fist,” is an eight-division world champion.

He is loved in the Philippines for his rags-to-riches story—dropping out of school at 14, selling donuts on the street, and working as a grocery stocker.Pacquiao also served as a Philippine senator from 2016. He retired for four years starting in 2021 to run for president, a bid that was unsuccessful. He returned to boxing last year, with his last fight against Mario Barrios ending in a draw, leaving his professional record at 62 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws."As always, I dedicate this fight to my fellow Filipinos around the world and to bringing glory to the Philippines," said Pacquiao.