Floyd Mayweather‘s return to the ring for a professional fight following his boxing exhibition alongside fellow all-time great Mike Tyson gathered pace Monday.
The most obvious opponent for Mayweather’s 51st pro bout was always his old rival Manny Pacquiao, whom he defeated via unanimous decision in what remains as the sport’s best-selling fight through history, and, on Feb. 23 the Netflix boxing Gods answered by confirming the fight was real, it is happening, and it’s coming to a big and little screen near you, soon.
Though Mayweather has been relatively active on the exhibition circuit, he has not fought a fully sanctioned boxing bout since his 10th round stoppage of Conor McGregor in 2017, in what remains the best example of a crossover fight that captured mainstream attention.
Earlier this month, though, the organizers of his events in 2026 — CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS — sent a statement to Boxing Social, through Mayweather, to indicate that he’d be fighting in two shows this year; once in an exhibition, and then a real fight.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said.
“From my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards, no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event — than my events.”
More is now known about Mayweather’s opponent for his pro option, and Netflix confirmed in a statement to Boxing Social that Ring Magazine’s report earlier, that the money-spinning rematch “is being planned for September”, was true.
It’s taking place Saturday, Sept. 19 at the state-of-the-art The Sphere — a mid-Strip venue adjacent to The Venetian, which hosted UFC 306, an MMA pay-per-view Boxing Social attended at the time. The property can welcome approximately 20,000 fans, and is equipped with an extraordinary-sized screen capable of displaying futuristic, if now downright trippy, graphics.
“Floyd and I gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history,” Pacquiao said per the statement. “The fans have waited long enough—they deserve this rematch, and it will be even bigger now that it will be streamed live globally on Netflix.”
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”
Mayweather, meanwhile, commented: “I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result.”
Netflix is proving itself to be a strong supporter of boxing, broadcasting Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Terence Crawford, Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua, an all-women Most Valuable Promotions show topped with Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, and Tyson Fury’s imminent return to the ring against Arslanbek Makhmudov. Netflix will also carry Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano, an MMA event bringing together two trailblazers in women’s combat.
Gabe Spitzer, Vice President of Sports at Netflix, said: “Earlier in my career, I spent weeks in Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s training camps in Las Vegas and the Philippines. It was undeniable that they were the two hardest workers in boxing, and their wins and accolades were a product of that.
“Bringing this rematch to Netflix is a massive ‘full-circle’ moment. We’re thrilled to combine their storied rivalry with the immersive technology of Sphere to deliver a landmark sporting event to our members worldwide.”
Read More:
