- Legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao has revealed he is in negotiations for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. for 2026.
- Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by unanimous decision in 2015, but Pacquiao said he had an injured shoulder.
- Even though this is likely an exhibition, this fight would probably earn a large audience.
Manny Pacquiao claimed he is in negotiations for more boxing matches in 2026, including a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Even though both men are almost 50 years old, there is most likely an audience for this exhibition.
Pacquiao-Mayweather Could Happen at the Sphere in Las Vegas
Pacquiao made the remarks in a news conference on Wednesday.
The two legends fought in 2015 when Mayweather earned a unanimous decision over Pacquiao. However, the Filipino star claims that his right shoulder was injured heading into the match. The fight was financially lucrative for both men, as it earned over $410 million in revenue. The 4.6 million PPV buys is still the all-time record, edging out Mayweather’s last professional fight against MMA star Conor McGregor, which topped out at 4.3 million buys.
Since then, Mayweather retired with a 50-0 record, but has been active on the exhibition circuit. He fought Logan Paul in December 2020 and a few other YouTubers. Most recently, he fought John Gotti III, the son of late Mafia boss John Gotti. After their first match ended in a brawl between the two entourages, they rematched in June 2024. There are also Floyd Mayweather-Mike Tyson odds for an exhibition that is slated to happen in spring 2026, but there has been no official word yet.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao came out of retirement to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in July 2025. It was a competitive fight that ended in a majority draw, which meant Barrios kept his belt, but Pacquiao took it to Barrios, who was 16 years his junior, and many thought he won the fight.
Pacquiao also said he could do an exhibition match with Vasiliy Lomachenko, but the Mayweather fight would be much bigger. There are rumors it could be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which also hosted UFC 306 (also known as UFC Noche) in September 2024.
Does Anyone Want to Watch Mayweather-Pacquiao 2?
You will see Mayweather-Pacquiao odds at boxing betting sites, and probably sooner than later. If 60 million people reportedly watched Jake Paul fight a then-58-year-old Mike Tyson on Netflix, there would be an audience to watch a 48-year-old Mayweather fight a 46-year-old Pacquiao.
It would be interesting to see if they would put that fight on Netflix, or if they would make it a pay-per-view event. If it’s the latter, the audience wouldn’t be as big. While both men are probably still in decent fighting shape, there may not be a large crowd who want to pay $90-100 to watch it. But if it is on a streaming service, it would likely draw way bigger numbers than you’d think.
It would also likely be an exhibition fight. Many boxing governing bodies wouldn’t give this the go-ahead to be a professional fight. Mayweather is also very protective of his 50-0 record. That said, Pacquiao did note that it would be a “real” fight, but we’ll see how the negotiations go.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest Pacquiao-Mayweather news. This would be the most intriguing boxing exhibition in years, possibly ever!
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