Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao recently confirmed they’ll fight once again — 11 years after their first bout — and Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White warned the boxing superstars about one aspect of the do-over.
“It is incredibly expensive.”
White wasn’t talking about the purses, either.
As two of the best-known and most beloved boxers in the modern era, who proved to be box office sensations and reliable ticket-sellers in Las Vegas, they combined to bank approximately $1.675 billion, according to estimates from Yahoo Sports and Forbes.
Mayweather, 49, hasn’t fought professionally since his 10th round knockout win over Conor McGregor in 2017, which advanced his pro record to a near-mythic 50-0 (27 KOs), including wins over Pacquiao, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Oscar de la Hoya among others.
Though Mayweather has been active on the exhibition circuit, it is nothing compared to a legitimate contest, of which Pacquiao has had several in the years since Mayweather’s retirement — taking on the likes of Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner, Keith Thurman, Yordenis Ugas, and, most recently, Mario Barrios — a fight he arguably should have won but only left Las Vegas with a disputed draw on July 19, last year.
It makes the rematch all the more compelling, as Pacquiao, per a Boxing Social source with knowledge of the situation, insisted that the only way he’d fight Floyd again is if Mayweather put his unbeaten record on the line.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” Pacquiao said, in a statement sent to Boxing Social, earlier this year.
“I already fought and beat Manny once,” Mayweather said. “This time will be the same result.”
What concerns White, though, isn’t necessarily their combined age (96 years old) but, rather, the venue choice.
Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight their rematch at The Sphere in Las Vegas — the multi-billion-dollar venue that features state-of-the-art screens both inside, and outside, and which has hosted one UFC show which White told Boxing Social and other reporters cost $20 million in production value alone.
“Who’s promoting it? S**t,” said White. “Wonder who’s paying for production. They’re in for a big surprise.
“It is incredibly expensive … they better call somebody.”
The event will air on Netflix, and an executive called Gabe Spitzer, who is Vice President of Sports, seemed unfazed. “We’re thrilled to combine [Mayweather and Pacquiao’s] storied rivalry with the immersive technology of Sphere to deliver a landmark sporting event to our members worldwide.”
Pacquiao representative Jas Mathur, who is producing the event, also commented.
“This rematch will once again command a worldwide audience, becoming (without a doubt) the most-watched boxing event in Netflix Sports history,” he said, in a statement sent to Boxing Social.
“Presented at Sphere, this unparalleled immersive experience will be an epic, once-in-a-generation spectacle worthy of their legacies.”
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