Mayweather and Pacquiao Announce Rematch for September Fight

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao Announce Rematch for September 19

Boxing icons Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have announced their highly anticipated rematch, set to take place on September 19 in Las Vegas. The event will be streamed globally on Netflix, marking the first boxing match to be held at the Sphere, an immersive event venue east of the Las Vegas Strip.

Mayweather, who will turn 49 on Tuesday, had previously announced his intention to end his nine-year retirement from competitive boxing. Pacquiao, 47, ended his four-year retirement last year and is scheduled to meet Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in his comeback bout.

The two fighters did not announce a weight class or length for their second bout. Mayweather and Pacquiao will face off again, 11 years after Mayweather beat Pacquiao by decision in a fight that did not live up to the decade of hype preceding it.

Promoters claim the rematch is still one of the most profitable fights in history, setting pay-per-view records and drawing worldwide attention. The fighters’ first meeting occurred more than half a decade after fans began clamoring for an obvious matchup between two similarly sized greats.

The event will be the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming. The Sphere venue, which opened in 2023, hosted an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) show in 2024, requiring a significant production budget due to its unique capabilities and requirements.

The fighters’ rematch is expected to be highly anticipated, with both sides confident of their chances. Mayweather expressed confidence that he would retain his title, while Pacquiao vowed to hand Mayweather his first professional loss.

Source: Al Jazeera