Manny Pacquiao confirmed in an interview that he’s in negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a rematch in a “real fight” that will count on their official records.
The 46-year-old Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) states that there are a “few conditions” that his team is still ironing out with the 48-year-old Mayweather. Making the fight count on the official records is one way of ensuring fans will be interested in watching.
Netflix Steps In
If the fight happens, it’ll be shown on Netflix. With it shown on that platform, it increases the chances of success compared to if it were peddled on PPV. Many hardcore boxing fans are uninterested in paying to watch the 40+ year old wealthy millionaires Mayweather and Pacquiao fight.
“Right now, we’re in negotiations. It depends on whether we can understand each other. My people and his people are directly coordinating,” said Manny Pacquiao to Secondsout about him negotiating with Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a rematch.
The 2015 Letdown
They’ve both made so much money already, and it’s off-putting for them to come back to make more. Their fight a decade ago, which sold $100 on PPV, was a massive disappointment. Both looked old even then, and their performances were far below what they’d done earlier in their careers.
Lomachenko Exhibition Talks
Manny revealed that he’s also in talks for an exhibition match against the recently retired Vasily Lomachenko. Understandably, that will be an exhibition, as Lomachenko is 37 and looked in vintage form in his last fight against George Kambosos Jr. on May 12, 2024.
Loma hasn’t been out of the ring long enough to lose the form he showed a year ago. It would be a very difficult fight for Pacquiao to face that version of the former three-division world champion.
Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by a 12-round unanimous decision on May 2, 2015. Manny revealed shortly after the fight that he’d fought with a preexisting right shoulder problem. That revelation made many boxing fans angry, particularly the ones who had bet on the outcome.
“Right now, I don’t have a shoulder problem. It’s a good fight and I’m sure the world of boxing will be excited if the rematch will push through,” said Pacquiao about the rematch with Mayweather.
Pacquiao shouldn’t have gone through with his fight with Mayweather with his shoulder problem. In hindsight, postponing the fight would have given him a better shot at defeating Floyd.
Conditions Still Pending
“I feel initially we’re almost agreeing [with] each other. A lot of things we are agreeing with each other, but there’s a few conditions that we are still negotiating. It’ll probably happen in Las Vegas,” Pacquiao said about negotiations with Mayweather.
Mayweather won by the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110. The criticism from fans about Floyd was how he fought a safety-first fight, moving, holding constantly, and throwing single potshots. It was the style Mayweather had always used, but casual fans who had never seen him were disappointed. They expected action, and that’s not his style of fighting. His style is more like a blend of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.
“A Real Fight,” Says Manny
“There’s also negotiations with [Vasily] Lomachenko for an exhibition. Not a real fight. But the Mayweather thing that we are negotiating right now is a real fight. He [Lomachenko] can still fight, even at 37,” said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao looked good for a 46-year-old in his last fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19, 2025. The two fought to a 12-round majority draw. It was far from the prime Pacquiao from 2008.
“He has his own decision. So, I cannot prevent him not to fight Mike Tyson,” said Pacquiao about Mayweather planning to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition match.
