Manny Pacquiao won’t be fighting Floyd Mayweather after all—at least not in September.
On Friday, Pacquiao announced via a statement that MayPac II, a rematch between two of this generation’s greatest fighters scheduled for September, will not push through. The Filipino legend pinned the blame solely on Mayweather, noting that “a volatile mix of federal lawsuits, scheduling overbooks, and financial gridlock completely surrounding the Mayweather camp” prompted the postponement of the fight.
How They Got Here
Back in February, Pacquiao and Netflix revealed that Pacquiao and Mayweather would be coming out of retirement for Pacquiao-Mayweather II, with the fight scheduled on 20 September at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The initial announcement billed the bout as a professional fight, giving Pacquiao a chance to erase the only blemish on Mayweather’s otherwise perfect record.
Mayweather, predictably, hedged, insisting the fight would be nothing more than an exhibition. Pacquiao countered, maintaining that the rematch would be a professional prizefight. As the two camps sparred over the terms, The Sphere was ruled out as a venue after iconic band The Eagles booked it for their residency.
Even so, Mayweather claimed the fight was close to being sealed—until his legal troubles derailed it again. Recently, events company CSI sued the unbeaten American to recover at least $4.65 million of the money they paid him for exclusive rights to promote the Pacquiao rematch and an exhibition bout with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, which the company claims failed to materialize. In connection with this lawsuit, Mayweather’s scheduled exhibition against Greek kickboxing star Mike Zambidis this weekend in Athens was scrapped after CSI sought an injunction.
Now, MayPac II is officially on the shelf.
Pacquiao Holding Out Hope
Even with this latest setback, the PacMan appears to be holding out hope that the rematch will still take place, albeit on another date. According to the statement, the earliest the fight could now happen would be early 2027.
“Should Mayweather and CSI settle their internal contract disputes out of court, promoters will immediately pivot to rescheduling a postponed exhibition between Mayweather and Mike Tyson, tentatively targeting 12 September,” the statement said.
The key words here are “should” and “settled”—and the bottom line is that there’s little certainty a resolution will be reached.
So, maybe Pacquiao should start looking for a new dance partner.
