Manny Pacquiao says he could rematch Floyd Mayweather in 2026

Ten years ago, two of boxing’s biggest stars met in the ring when Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision. It was a matchup of two of the biggest stars in the welterweight division, with Mayweather claiming the WBC, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine world welterweight titles with the victory in May 2015. 

The two never had a rematch, but that could change with both fighters now well into their 40s. Pacquiao confirmed negotiations with Mayweather were ongoing at a press conference in the Philippines on Wednesday, but noted he’s in discussions with a number of fighters and isn’t sure which bout will get made. 

“Right now we have a lot of negotiations about my next fight; there’s a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather,” Pacquiao said. “There’s a lot of ongoing negotiations right now, so it’s hard to plan what fight I’m going to post. I’m waiting for the final negotiation.”

Pacquiao, who dealt with a shoulder injury in the first fight, fought seven more times times before retiring in 2021, going 5-2. He recently came out of retirement at 46 years old against WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios and fell just short of reclaiming the title in a majority draw earlier this year. 

Mayweather, meanwhile, only fought two more times as a pro after beating Pacquiao. He retired after his 50th career victory against Conor McGregor in 2017. Mayweather, now 48 years old, has since fought in a handful of exhibition bouts, but has not been in a real bout in nearly a decade. 

How interested fans will be in a rematch of two fighters nearing 50 years old remains to be seen. The original fight in 2015 featured both past their primes and came after years of the two dancing around each other. It also produced the highest grossing gate of all time.