Manny Pacquiao claims he will be rematching Floyd Mayweather almost a decade on from their ‘Fight of the Century’.
Over eight years have passed since Mayweather got the better of Pacquiao in their mega-fight which still holds the record for the highest-selling boxing pay-per-view in history. The fight failed to live up to its massive build-up as Mayweather won a relatively one-sided decision, with Pacquiao blaming his defeat on a shoulder injury.
Pacquiao shocked the boxing world by announcing his rematch with Mayweather when appearing at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve event on Sunday. “I will see you here in Japan again, for a big fight,” Pacquiao said before turning round and seemingly asking for permission to announce his opponent “Floyd Mayweather, I thought you wouldn’t want me to say that. I am excited for that. Thank you for always supporting RIZIN promotions.”
Mayweather hasn’t responded to Pacquiao’s announcement about their rematch and it’s also unclear if the fight would go on their professional records. Both men have competed in exhibition bouts since hanging up their gloves, with Mayweather retiring six years ago after going 50-0 and Pacquiao calling it quits in 2021 after his world title loss to Yordenis Ugas.
Pacquiao already has an exhibition fight lined up in April as he will fight muay thai legend Buakaw Banchamek in Thailand. The exhibition, that is being dubbed ‘Match of Legends’, is six three-minute rounds with two-minute breaks and will take place under a boxing ruleset.
Mayweather competed in exhibitions this year against reality TV star Aaron Chalmers and the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti. Mayweather’s farcical bout against Gotti III descended into chaos when a mass brawl broke out in the ring after the MMA fighter was disqualified for holding and trash talking.
A rematch between the pair was announced last month as Mayweather wrote: “Kicking off Super Bowl weekend – unfinished business. See you guys in Las Vegas. More details coming soon.” A date or venue is yet to be announced for the fight, but it’s expected to take place on February 10 or 11.
