One side says September 19 at the Sphere. The other side says they don’t know where it is yet.
In late February, Netflix told the world that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would meet again on September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Mayweather, speaking to Vegas Sports Today, told a noticeably different story.
The undefeated boxing legend said the location of the event has not been confirmed, that the Sphere is only one of several venues under discussion, and that whatever ends up happening will not be a sanctioned professional fight. He described the planned event as an exhibition, framing it as an entertainment event rather than a competitive boxing match and suggesting both participants would walk away as winners by design.
That characterization sits directly at odds with how Netflix positioned the announcement, and it raises real questions about whether the September date holds at all.
What Mayweather actually said
Mayweather’s comments to Vegas Sports Today were measured but clear. He said the details surrounding the event, including where it takes place, remain unsettled. He acknowledged the Sphere had been mentioned as a possible venue but stopped well short of confirming it. His description of the format as an exhibition rather than a fight carries significant weight, both in terms of how the event would be regulated and how it would be perceived by fans who paid to watch the two meet professionally in 2015.
That original fight, held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was one of the most commercially successful boxing events in history and one of the most broadly criticized for failing to deliver the competitive spectacle it had promised for years.
Mayweather’s ring schedule beyond Pacquiao
Whatever happens with the Pacquiao situation, Mayweather is not stepping away from the ring entirely. An exhibition against kickboxer Mike Zabidis is confirmed for June in Greece, giving Mayweather a near-term return to action that does not depend on the Netflix deal coming together. A potential exhibition with Mike Tyson has also been announced, though that event’s details have not been fully confirmed.
Mayweather’s last professional fight was in August 2017, when he defeated Conor McGregor to finish his career at 50-0. Since then, he has appeared in a series of exhibition bouts, none of which counted toward his professional record.
Pacquiao, for his part, came out of retirement last year for a sanctioned professional fight against Mario Barrios, signaling that he retains some interest in competitive boxing. Whether that interest extends to an unsanctioned exhibition with Mayweather, and whether the September date survives the current uncertainty, remains an open question.
Netflix has not publicly responded to Mayweather’s comments.
Source: USA TODAY