The ongoing drama surrounding the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao rematch is the gift that keeps on taking, as the difference in messaging appears so vast that the fight seems likelier to fail, than bear fruit.
But it’s not the only huge headline we ran on Boxing Social, as we also detailed how a prospective heavyweight showdown between the all-time great puncher Deontay Wilder and the unified king of the division, Oleksandr Usyk, had been discussed as far back as 2022, and could still get booked should the American breeze past Derek Chisora when they throw hands this weekend.
And, last but not least, my least favorite type of story to report — a fighter death.
For all the biggest boxing news today, keep scrolling.
Floyd Mayweather & Manny Pacquiao Rematch Falls Apart
Netflix announced a September showdown between the old welterweight rivals would take place inside the state-of-the-art Las Vegas venue The Sphere, with Mayweather — who beat Pacquiao in the first fight in 2015 — putting his unbeaten record on the line for a pro fight.
But Mayweather, last weekend, put the breaks on the bout by saying it might not take place at The Sphere after all, and would be an exhibition — something that would surely alienate the fans whose interest had been piqued at the prospect of Floyd possibly losing his zero after all these years.
MP Promotions through Jas Mathur responded, saying they had signed documentation to support it being a real bout, and that Manny wouldn’t be interested in it any other way. Mathur told Boxing Social this, too, week ago.
Now, in a report on ESPN, Mathur says “the fight is still on” and that Mayweather has, indeed, “signed for a professional fight.”
He said: “Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract. He’s been in a breach since the day he went out and said what he said on Saturday and he’s officially in a breach as of yesterday.”
Mayweather even took an advance on his fight purse, per Mathur.
A Mayweather-adjacent YouTube firm, Fight Hype, posted a response.
Mathur continued:
“If he’s scared of Manny … he should just come out right and say it because Manny ain’t scared.”
“We put this together to put on something that the fans would love and would be a massive sports event,” he said. “We wanted to do something that makes history and he wants to come around and try to change terms last minute because he thinks he can.
“No, he can’t,” Mathur finished. “Not happening.”
Deontay Wilder vs Oleksandr Usyk Could Happen Next
On our site, Boxing Social reporter Matt Brown laid out just how far back the Deontay Wilder vs Oleksandr Usyk talks went.
The American knockout artist returns to the ring Saturday for a second fight in England, this time against Derek Chisora. Should Wilder emerge triumphant, his manager Shelly Finkel said they’d restart talks with Usyk.
“If Deontay does what he’s supposed to do, we will fight Usyk next,” he said.
Boxer Death Rocks The Sport
Also from Brown came the tragic news of a fighter death — Jacob ‘Jack Spoiler’ Oyoko. Read all about it here.
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