Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao agree to a rematch in September at The Sphere in Las Vegas

By GREG BEACHAM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to a rematch of their landmark 2015 bout.

Their second fight will be held Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, the boxing icons announced Monday. The rematch, which will be streamed on Netflix, will be the first boxing event to be held at Sphere, the immersive event venue east of the Strip.

Mayweather, who turns 49 years old on Tuesday, announced his intention last week to end his nine-year retirement from competitive boxing. The 47-year-old Pacquiao ended his own four-year retirement last year, and he is scheduled to meet Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in the second bout of his comeback.

Mayweather and Pacquiao didn’t announce a weight class or length for their second bout.

The two most prominent boxers of their generation will meet again 11 years after Mayweather beat Pacquiao by decision in a fight that didn’t live up to the decade of hype preceding it. The bout’s promoters claimed it was still the most profitable fight in history, setting pay-per-view records and attracting worldwide attention.

“I already fought and beat Manny once,” Mayweather said in a statement. “This time will be the same result.”

Pacquiao later revealed he fought with a shoulder injury because he didn’t want to postpone such an important event. He was unable to apply his usual offensive pressure to Mayweather, who employed his usual defense-first strategy while easing to victory.

“The fans have waited long enough — they deserve this rematch,” Pacquiao said. “I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”

The fighters’ first meeting happened more than a half-decade after fans first began to clamor for an obvious matchup between two similarly-sized greats. Both sides blamed the other for the delay at times, but Mayweather always asserted he would fight whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted — leading many fans to believe Mayweather waited to accept the bout until he felt age had taken a bit of sting out of Pacquiao’s famously vicious punches.

Both fighters are now much more than a decade removed from their primes, but Mayweather and Pacquiao remain two of the biggest names in boxing.

After Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017 and retired with a 50-0 record, he spent much of his 40s competing in lucrative boxing “exhibitions” against YouTubers and fringe competitors while largely maintaining his lavish lifestyle outside the ring. He is currently in legal disputes with multiple alleged creditors over issues ranging from unpaid rent on a Manhattan apartment to outstanding jewelry bills.

Mayweather has announced another exhibition against 59-year-old Mike Tyson this spring, although the bout still doesn’t have a location or date.

Pacquiao ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of his native Philippines and then lost in the Philippine Senate election last May. He returned to the ring two months after that political setback, fighting WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw while trying to become the oldest 147-pound champion.

The rematch is the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming. The streamer showcased Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Álvarez last year, and it will present heavyweight champ Tyson Fury’s comeback bout in April.

The Sphere venue, which opened in 2023, hosted a UFC show in 2024. UFC President Dana White said the promotion had to pay roughly $20 million to produce that show — about 10 times more than a normal UFC pay-per-view event — because of the venue’s unusual capabilities and requirements.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

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