Manny Pacquiao has teased a rematch with rival Floyd Mayweather, nine years after what was then dubbed “The Fight of the Century”. But while initial reactions might salivate at an all-out fight, the bout will instead be an exhibition match.
Pacquiao teased the event during a guest appearance at Rizin Fighting Federation in Japan.
“I hope to see you here in Japan with a big fight against Floyd Mayweather,” the eight-division world champion announced in-ring.
Manny Pacquiao announces he’s fighting Floyd Mayweather on RIZIN in 2024 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EJ485tdFhO
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 31, 2023
Pacquiao did not announce a specific date, nor has Mayweather confirmed the reveal. But initial reactions have been lukewarm, save for die-hard fans of both boxers, which isn’t a surprise. The 2015 fight failed to live up to the hype, criticizing Money’s hesitance to engage and PacMan’s inability to land shots. Both have since retired, Mayweather in 2017 and Pacquiao in 2021, save for a few exhibition matches, so it’s hard to imagine a better outing from the retirees.
Still, it would be delusional to think that the exhibition will fail to generate hype and the numbers once it’s around the corner. Retirees or not, both are legends of the sport who broke pay-per-view numbers with 4.6 million purchases in their first go. While the rematch won’t come close to that number, it will be a guilty pleasure viewing, with most of us tuning in out of sheer curiosity and nostalgia.
Great another fight nobody wants to see
— alecoria18 (@najoe2019) December 31, 2023
The crowd went mild!!!!🔥🔥🔥
— Shiesty Alert 🗞️ ‼️ (@ShiestyAlert) December 31, 2023
Nah that’s actually nuts
— Brandon (@TheBomberJensen) December 31, 2023
Manny getting his revenge
— Ultra Messi (Fan) (@SuperMessi10i) December 31, 2023
