The date is set
When Floyd Mayweather announced he would fight Manny Pacquiao for the first time in 2015, the news prompted unanimous excitement among the boxing community. The welterweight bout was dubbed the “Fight of the Century” and the “Battle of Greatness.”
Mayweather defeated Pacquiao in that fight more than a decade ago
Ultimately, Mayweather defeated Pacquiao in that fight more than a decade ago. The American won in a unanimous decision that time around.
The news of their second bout has not been met with the same levels of excitement by any means. Mayweather will fight the Filipino Pacquiao at the Sphere Las Vegas on September 19 this year, streamed live on Netflix.
At 48 years of age, Mayweather will officially come out of retirement to face his old foe. Pacquiao is still fighting at age 47, despite a stint in the Philippine government as a congressman and senator from 2016 to 2022. The fight will go on both of their professional records.
A dull reaction
“I already fought and beat Many once,” Mayweather said when the rematch was announced this week. “This time will be the same result.” He comfortably beat Pacquiao in 2015 by outscoring him in points, but the question is, does anyone actually care if he can do it again when both men are pushing 50.
Famous Las Vegas commentator Vital Vegas certainly doesn’t think a rematch is worthwhile:
Other X users have questioned why the rematch is taking place at this late stage. @RichardPetkov suggested that both men are currently broke because “Mayweather has nothing to prove, same as pacman.”
Many have predicted that the fight will likely be a snoozefest, especially after the first fight in 2015 didn’t exactly set the world ablaze. Referring to the first fight, @andrew_just said: “There is no way in hell I’ll pay 1 nickel for this after watching Mayweather run around the ring scared to fight Pacquiao for 12 rounds.”
It wasn’t all negative though, @isonggod4444 deemed it a “huge” fight that “promises to be a spectacle,” while ABS-CBN News welcomed the “long-awaited rematch” of two “boxing icons.”
Oldies fight it out
Mayweather and Pacquiao are certainly not the first boxers to return to the ring at a ripe old age.
a unanimous victory in a lacklustre affair
Mike Tyson faced influencer turned boxer Jake Paul in 2024. The former heavyweight champion of the world was 58 years old on fight night and lost to Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Texas. Paul, who was 27 at the time, claimed a unanimous victory in a lacklustre affair. At the time, the fight drew the most bets in combat sports history.
Even Muhammed Ali fought for later in life than people advised him. His last bout was in December 1981 when he lost to Trevor Berbick in a ten-round bout. He was almost 40 at the time and afterwards told reporters: “I think I’m too old. I was slow. I was weak. Nothing but Father Time. The things I wanted to do, I couldn’t do.”
