Manny Pacquiao and his team set an April 14 deadline for Floyd Mayweather to honor the terms of their signed contract for a professional rematch on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, streaming on Netflix. Speaking on DAZN’s Inside the Ring, Pacquiao made clear he believes Mayweather’s attempts to rebrand the bout as an exhibition are rooted in fear.
I think he’s scared of losing, because that’s his leverage to go around and have exhibition matches,” Pacquiao said. “If that record will ruin, then what else that he can leverage for to go around and have exhibition matches?
Contractual Standoff Escalates
The dispute traces back to late March, when Mayweather told reporters the fight did not have a confirmed venue and called it an exhibition. That contradicted the February announcement by Netflix, which framed the bout as a sanctioned professional rematch with Mayweather’s 50-0 record on the line.
Pacquiao said he contacted his team immediately.
I called Jas right away. What happened? That’s not what we signed, we signed a real fight,” he said. “He’s got his event, he’s announcing this exhibition, blah, blah, blah.
Pacquiao Promotions CEO Jas Mathur backed up his fighter with an aggressive legal posture, confirming that Mayweather had signed multiple contracts and already taken financial advances against his purse, including a loan beyond the initial deposits.
I am by far the worst person on the planet to play chicken with,” Mathur said. “So, we’re not blinking. These are the contracts. They’re signed. He’s notarized the loan docs.
Pacquiao Confident Fight Will Happen
Despite the standoff, Pacquiao told ESPN he remains “100% confident” the fight proceeds as planned. He pointed to the financial commitments already in place as proof neither side can walk away.
We both signed the contract and we both got our advance on our purses, so there’s no way we’re going to cancel this fight,” Pacquiao told ESPN. “Even with our first fight, he’s a lot to deal with, but the fight happened.
According to previous reporting on the dispute, Mayweather could face eight- or nine-figure damages if he breaches the agreement. Mathur told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the penalties are “quite substantial.”
Pacquiao, 47, returned from a four-year retirement last year, fighting then-WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios to a draw. Mayweather, 49, has not competed professionally since stopping Conor McGregor in 2017 but has remained active on the exhibition circuit. Their first meeting in 2015 generated 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, the most in boxing history.
Mathur said discussions between the two camps are ongoing and expressed optimism.
“We are 100% confident that the overall outcome from this situation will turn out positive,” Mathur told ESPN earlier this week. “Floyd has to live up to his obligations, and I think he wants this fight to happen, too.”
