Pacquiao says Mayweather rematch is a fight, not an exhibition
Manny Pacquiao said he has signed a contract for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and that he would not get back into the ring with the American if it were an exhibition bout.
Mayweather, 49, and Pacquiao, 47, announced last month that they would meet at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix. However, Mayweather told Vegas Sports Today last week that it would be an exhibition bout, not a real fight, and that a venue had yet to be decided.
“If that’s what he is feeling, but he signed for a real match. The contract that we signed is for a real fight. He has to remember that.” Pacquiao told local media on Thursday.
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Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in a 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century”.
Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions and a producer for the event, said the agreement was for a fight.
“No one in these last three months has brought up anything related to the venue or related to the fight not being a professional fight,” Mathur told ESPN.
“His team has had all the contracts. He signed all the contracts,” he added.
The 2015 bout between the boxers generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a USD 72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Published on Apr 03, 2026