Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are set to run back one of the biggest fights in boxing history. Mayweather and Pacquiao will rematch in a Sept. 19 clash from The Sphere in Las Vegas, as announced by Netflix, with the streaming service set to air the event.
The first meeting between Pacquiao and Mayweather took years of negotiation to come together, as both fighters were on top of the boxing world. The fight eventually happened in May 2015. Mayweather won the fight by clear unanimous decision, with the fight reportedly drawing more than 4.5 million pay-per-view buys, making it a massive success, though the fight itself disappointed many due to a general lack of action.
Negotiations for the first meeting began in early 2010, though those plans fell apart when the two sides could not come to an agreement on drug testing for the fight.
Drug testing would continue to be a sticking point as negotiations would continue as time passed. Between the type of drug testing, with Mayweather wanting “Olympic-style” testing, or timing, with Pacquiao refusing testing that went beyond 14 days prior to the bout, testing remained an ongoing sticking point as the negotiations dragged on for years.
Over the past few years, the idea of a rematch has popped up repeatedly, though it never seemed to gain much momentum until recent months, when interest was ignited once again.
After a controversial semifinal loss in the 1996 Olympics that ultimately led to winning a bronze medal, Mayweather turned professional, going on to hold world championships across five weight classes. Mayweather’s championship accomplishments are slightly eclipsed by Pacquiao, who remains the only boxer to have won world championships in eight different divisions.
Pacquiao, 47, ended his retirement in July 2025, facing Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title. That fight, Pacquiao’s first professional bout since a WBA welterweight title loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, ended in a majority draw but showed Pacquiao to still have some of his signature speed and power.
Mayweather, 48, has not fought professionally since a TKO win over UFC superstar Conor McGregor in August 2017. The win over McGregor allowed Mayweather to enter retirement with a sparkling 50-0 record.
Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have participated in various exhibition bouts in the years since entering retirement. Mayweather is currently planning another exhibition, this time against Mike Tyson, in an event that was recently announced as a final tune-up before returning to the professional ranks.
Likewise, Pacquiao recently announced an April exhibition against Ruslan Provodnikov in what will be his own tune-up ahead of the clash with his former rival.