Manny Pacquiao wants boxing fans to know that the Floyd Mayweather rematch is happening in 2026 despite the latter’s recent pessimistic comments.
Despite the fight being officially announced in February, fans became skeptical after Mayweather said the bout does not yet have a confirmed location and called it an exhibition, not a professional fight. Pacquiao immediately opposed that statement, but fans remain doubtful.
‘Pac-Man’ doubled down and wants everybody to know that the plan has already been set in motion and is beyond the point of no return.
“We both signed the contract and we both got advances on our purses, so there’s no way we’re going to cancel this fight,” Pacquiao said, via ESPN. “Even with our first fight, he’s a lot to deal with, but the fight happened.”
Jas Mathur, the CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, echoed the sentiment with an even stronger claim. Mathur said that Pacquiao’s team is “100 percent confident” that Mayweather’s antics will eventually subside and result in a fight.
“We are 100 percent confident that the overall outcome from this situation will turn out positive,” Mathur said. “We’re gaining traction and progress. Floyd has to live up to his obligations, and I think he wants this fight to happen, too.”
Mayweather is already reportedly swimming in legal issues and cannot afford to dig himself into a deeper hole by refusing to fight. Pacquiao’s team already threatened Mayweather with a breach of contract claim if the fight falls through, which would certainly be applicable if both have already received advances on their purses.
Mayweather and Pacquiao memorably met in the ring on May 2, 2015, in a fight that remains the most-purchased pay-per-view boxing event of all time with 4.6 million buys. Fans still complained that the matchup happened way too late in both fighters’ careers, yet they are now negotiating a rematch over 10 years later.
Both fighters have remained active deep into their forties, with Pacquiao recently coming out of retirement to challenge then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in July 2025.
Mayweather has not fought professionally since 2017, when he stopped Conor McGregor in another blockbuster event, but has competed in multiple exhibition bouts since. He most recently faced John Gotti III in an eight-round non-scored bout in August 2024.
Despite the inactivity, the 49-year-old Mayweather has three fights scheduled for 2026. He also announced a pair of exhibition bouts: one against Mike Tyson, initially scheduled for April 25, and another with kickboxer Mike Zambidis, tentatively set for June.
