Boxing has returned to the headlines once again. The “Fight of the Century” took place between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao nearly 11 years ago during Cinco De Mayo weekend. Even at that time, their match-up was deemed overdue.
What ensued was a somewhat defensive and, at times, uneventful fight that saw the undefeated Mayweather score yet another victory in his storied career. Now, Netflix has signed on to broadcast the sequel to this fight this September with Mayweather versus Pacquiao.
There will be no shortage of hype as we near September, but was this a fight that people were still clamoring for? Why is it really happening?
Everybody’s got a price
The easy answer is the check, right? In 2015, even though both boxers weren’t particularly in their prime anymore, they still generated over $600 million in revenue. And in this game, like damn near every other, money talks. So, we have to first understand that in the entertainment business, if it’s believed that a sequel can make money, it will be made. How said sequel is received is a whole other story. The goal this time around is clearly for Netflix to shatter the previous records of revenue and viewership.
A tried and true formula… for now
In combat sports, we’ve seen this play before. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. We love to see how former athletes measure up to their former selves in the present day. Look no further than Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul from 2024. Or how about we look toward the future with Ronda Rousey returning to fight on Netflix against Gina Carano on May 16, 2026. All of these events have varying levels of intrigue. However, the older an athlete gets, the more likely I believe the public will get got for investing attention in the event. This, of course, is more specific in combat sports, because, well, we see what the hell LeBron James is doing at 41 years old.
As we turn to what’s on the docket for Mayweather, it will give you some cause to pause. He is gearing up for an exhibition bout with Tyson this April in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Albeit an exhibition, I feel that all of the intrigue is gone. It was already gone for me due to Tyson and Mayweather being in grossly different weight classes. What exactly are we signing up to watch? With a sanctioned bout on the horizon for “Money” Mayweather, why would he ever risk taking any sort of loss before this fight with Pacquiao? Smells like a money grab to me. And as I’ve stated in the past, that well can and will run dry.
With that knowledge, I wonder how much of the public will support and watch the “Fight of the Century” sequel. Sure, it’s household names involved. They’re two of the sport’s most prolific fighters, but they’re both over a decade past their prime. It was reported that Pacquiao suffered a shoulder injury while training for the first bout, which hindered his performance. He last fought this past July to a majority draw decision. That’s impressivem but it’s also more than Mayweather has done competitively in recent years. This might cause us to view Mayweather’s exhibition with Tyson as a glorified sparring session, to help get him in rhythm for September.
History will repeat itself
Believe it or not, 11 years isn’t the longest gap for a rematch between boxers. There’s Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, who had 17 years between their bouts, and even a 21-year gap between Larry Holmes and Mike Weaver. But in most cases, trust and believe, it’s father time that truly comes out on top, as he exhibits just how undefeated he is throughout.
I’m afraid that we’re heading back to that dried-up well once again y’all. And I’m pretty confident that we won’t see the exciting fight between these two that we have always wanted to see. As for the fighters? Well, in the words of 50 Cent, they’ll be “laughing straight to the bank with this.” Good fight, and good night!