Here We Go Again! Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 Official

• Date: Saturday, September 19

• Location: Sphere, Las Vegas

• Tickets: Price and Sales TBD

• Officially Sanctioned Fight (pending commission approval)

• Where to Watch: Netflix – free to subscribers

With Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2, Netflix has a proven product. The rematch follows the 2015 “Fight of the Century,” which nearly a dozen years later remains the biggest moneymaker in boxing history. If your memory is a little hazy, Mayweather of Las Vegas (50-0, 27 KOs) defeated Pacquiao of General Santos City, Philippines (62-8-3, 39 KOs) by unanimous decision without controversy by scores of 118-110, 116-112, and 116-112.

It was not an especially thrilling contest. However, Mayweather vs Pacquiao 1 broke every existing record, including a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys. It set a world-record live gate of $72 million at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Ticket prices ranged from $1,500 to $7,500 and were limited due to so many high rollers and celebrities filling the seats. Jamie Foxx sang the national anthem.

MayPac2 First Boxing Event at Sphere

Sweetening the spectacle is the notoriety of hosting the first-ever professional boxing match to take place at Sphere in Las Vegas, a draw in itself, no matter who is in the ring in the 18,000-seat venue. The production promises to use the venue’s advanced technologies to provide fans with an immersive experience unlike any other in boxing history.

This is an official fight with Mayweather risking his perfect 50-0 record in his 51st sanctioned fight. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) still needs to give its formal approval. This is not a given. The proposed fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta “Tank” Davis did not receive approval in Nevada, California, or Georgia before it found a home in Florida. The fight ended up being cancelled anyway due to Davis’s legal issues.

While you and I may doubt whether Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 can deliver again over a decade later, the siren call of seeing these two Hall of Fame greats back in the ring even in their mid-40s is far too loud for Netflix and the participants to ignore.

Pacquiao Already An Active Fighter

Since the loss to Mayweather, Pacquiao fought eight more times and retired in 2022. After he was voted into the Hall of Fame by my fellow members of the Boxing Writers Association of America, in 2025, Pacquiao returned to the ring for a welterweight championship fight against WBC champion Mario Barrios. Pacquiao fought a surprisingly competitive bout, which ended on the scorecards as a draw although many observers ringside believe Pacquiao did enough to win.

Pacquiao is currently scheduled to participate in an exhibition fight against another retired boxer, Ruslan Provodnikov, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on April 19.

Mayweather Coming Off Exhibition Fights

Mayweather’s last fight took place in March 2017 against MMA star Conor McGregor. Mayweather made it 50 wins and no losses with a TKO victory. He then officially announced his retirement on August 26, 2017.

Since then, Mayweather has fought in eight exhibition matches. The most recent was in Mexico City last August against John Gotti III, the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti.

Since his official retirement in Mayweather recently announced that he was coming out of retirement through a multi-fight partnership with CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS and is reportedly teeing up a fight against boxing icon Mike Tyson.

Is Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 Only About Money?

Mayweather recently filed a lawsuit against Showtime Networks and its former vice president of sports, Stephen Espinoza, claiming they conspired with manager Al Haymon to defraud him of $340 million during his lucrative, six-fight deal. Rumors continue to swirl about Mayweather’s shaky finances as one reason he is so eager to return to the ring to trade on his still-famous name.

As for Pacquiao, he claims he simply loves boxing too much to quit. Now that he is no longer an elected Senator in the Philippines, he has stepped back into the sport with both feet as a promoter, a participant, and as the new owner of the San Diego expansion franchise in the Total Boxing League (formerly Total Combat League), with the intention of fighting on the team through age 50.

In statements issued today by Netflix, Pacquiao said, “Floyd and I gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history. The fans have waited long enough—they deserve this rematch, and it will be even bigger now that it will be streamed live globally on Netflix. I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him. As always, I dedicate this fight to my fellow Filipinos around the world and to bringing glory to the Philippines.”

Mayweather kept his statement brief. “I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result.”

The Netflix Sports Strategy

Unlike Amazon or Apple, which have spent billions on season-long rights to secure NFL or major league baseball contracts, Netflix pursues one-time events with the promise of becoming global water cooler moments without paying out huge amounts of money for long term contracts.

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, has stated they want to “seize massive cultural spectacles,” treating sports like the premiere of a blockbuster film (remember those?). Viewers must watch live events in real time, which is exactly what advertisers want. That includes Netflix, which gets a ‘free’ platform to promote its own upcoming content and convince subscribers to stick around.

The proof? In 2025, Netflix’s ad revenue doubled to over $1.5 billion. Live events like the NFL Christmas Day games and the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, which drew 108 million viewers, get the credit.

Netflix followed up with the historic Taylor vs Serrano 3 card last July at Madison Square Garden. It became the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in the US in 2025. Netflix followed up in September with the showdown at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, which drew 41.4 million viewers, the most-watched men’s championship fight in the 21^st Century.

Netflix Adds MayPac2 to its 2026 Calendar

Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 is the latest combat sports event to join the Netflix 2026 calendar. It announced the upcoming return of Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11, which will serve as the first-ever live broadcast from the UK for Netflix.

Netflix also lured former MMA champion Ronda Rousey back to the octogon for a showdown with her rival Gina Carano scheduled for May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Big boxing matches have also served as stress tests for Netflix’s streaming technology. There were loud complaints about buffering problems during the Paul vs Tyson fight in November 2024. Netflix has been aggressively upgrading its Live Operations Centers with new hubs opening in the UK and Asia in 2026, ensuring its NFL product and even bigger future events are problem-free. A Netflix Super Bowl seems like a sure thing someday, doesn’t it?

Netflix is also able to build sports content around these exclusive events. Although it doesn’t currently have the Formula 1 rights in the U.S., its “Drive to Survive” documentary series, which premiered during the pandemic, has been responsible for massive growth in the American fanbase for what was long considered a European-centric sport.

Netflix uses these events to feed its “sports-adjacent” documentary ecosystem. The fight brings people in; the library of sports docs (like Full Swing or The Comeback) keeps them there once the final bell rings.

Gabe Spitzer, Vice President of Sports at Netflix, said: “We’re thrilled to combine their storied rivalry with the immersive technology of Sphere to deliver a landmark sporting event to our members worldwide.”

Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO Jas Mathur said, “This isn’t just a rematch. It’s unfinished business. As a partner to both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, and on behalf of Manny Pacquiao Promotions alongside Limitless X Holdings, I want to thank Netflix for stepping up and giving boxing fans what they’ve demanded for years.

“Two legends. Two styles. One final chapter the world has been waiting for. Their first fight generated over $600 million in global revenue and became the highest-grossing pay-per-view in boxing history. This rematch will once again command a worldwide audience, becoming (without a doubt) the most-watched boxing event in Netflix Sports history. Presented at Sphere, this unparalleled immersive experience will be an epic, once-in-a-generation spectacle worthy of their legacies.”

Early Expectations for Mayweather Pacquiao 2

Following the disappointment by many in the Paul vs Tyson fight in which the once feared Baddest Man on the Planet looked ever bit of his grandfatherly 58 years, fans need to temper their expectations for Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 through the next seven months of sheer hype.

Fortunately, both men are a decade younger than Tyson. Pacquiao was well past his prime when he fought Barrios, but it was still impressive to see even a faded version of his skills. Mayweather hasn’t been challenged in the same way in his exhibitions.

But at least both are more or less at the same level, and it’s better matchmaking than seeing Pacquiao with whatever version of Ruslan Provodnikov shows up, or seeing Pacquiao take on a more formidable current champion like Devin Haney.

It will be like watching some of the music arts that have played the Sphere. When you go see the Backstreet Boys in 2026, it’s not like seeing them in their heyday in the 1990s. But if you sit back and squint a little, you can enjoy the nostalgia of it all.

The historic rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao was organized and will be produced by EverWonder Studio, Hidden Empire, and Limitless X Holdings. The event itself is being promoted by Manny Pacquiao Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, in partnership with CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS.