Floyd Mayweather’s explosive comments regarding his prospective Netflix match-up against Manny Pacquiao could cost him eight to nine figures in damages.
That’s according to Jas Mathur of MP Promotions, who insisted to Las Vegas Review-Journal this week that the American boxer remains in breach of his deal with Pacman’s company over comments in which he said their event might not take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and certainly would not see him risk his unbeaten pro boxing record.
It all started in February when Netflix made the shock announcement that, 11 years after their 2015 bout — which remains the highest-grossing combat sports event in history — Mayweather and Pacquiao would engage in a September rematch.
One month later, though, Mayweather told Vegas Sports Today that, counter to the messaging from the $400 billion company, the Pacquiao event would actually just be an exhibition.
“There’s a massive penalty” to being in breach, Mathur told the Review-Journal.
“There’s gonna be damages and those damages they’re quite substantial. It’s eight to nine-figure damages.”
Mayweather shook things up last week, when he said: “We don’t know exactly where the fight is going to be at. The Sphere is one of the places that they talked about. So, we don’t know if it’s 100 percent going to be there.
“And this is not actually a fight, it’s an exhibition.”
Mayweather has been relatively active on the exhibition circuit since hanging his gloves up following his 2017 stoppage win over Conor McGregor in what was his 50th and final fight.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, has continued to fight in the pro ranks, going 3-1-1 (1 KO) since Mayweather’s last appearance. Most impressively, perhaps, was Pacquiao’s draw with Mario Barrios in July, last year, at 46 years old.
It is likely that performance over Barrios, in a bout that many ringside termed a robbery believing Pacquiao deserved a win, that emboldened Manny to remain a pro rather than follow Mayweather into the exhibition circuit.
It remains to be seen whether Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 will be a real fight, an exhibition, or nothing at all.
