Eleven years after their first showdown, the ageing boxing icons Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are ready to go at it again. Netflix will broadcast the legends’ duel on September 19.
On May 2, 2015, the “fight of the century” took place between boxing giants Floyd Mayweather (50-0, 27 knockouts) and Manny Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 knockouts). Eleven years later, the two ageing rivals are set to rematch. As Netflix officially announced, the duel Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II will take place on September 19, 2026 in “The Sphere” in Las Vegas (USA).
Transfer without surcharge
“With Mayweather’s official return from retirement, this once-in-a-lifetime event will be broadcast live worldwide on Netflix for its 325+ million subscribers at no additional cost,” the streaming service advertises the event. For Mayweather, who last shared the ring with UFC superstar Conor McGregor (T.K.O. 10th round) in 2017 and then retired undefeated, it will be the second boxing match as part of his comeback. First, “Money”, who turns 49 today, is due to fight boxing idol Mike Tyson (59) in a show fight in April.
As the US American and former pound-for-pound king recently announced, he has entered into a partnership with the multimedia company CSI Sports (which operates the live sports channel Fight Sports) for his comeback tour, which will include several fights. Regarding his rematch against Pacquiao, “Money” said: “I already fought Manny once and beat him. This time the result will be the same.”
“Fans deserve this rematch”
Pacquiao (47) made his comeback last year, four years after his retirement in 2021, when the “Pac-Man” drew with then WBC champion Mario Barrios. “The fans have waited long enough,” said the folk hero of the Philippines. “They deserve this rematch. I want Floyd to chase the one defeat of his career forever – and I want him to always remember who inflicted it on him.”
In 2015, Pacquiao lost unanimously on points against Mayweather in the fight for the welterweight world championship (WBC, WBA and WBO associations). The duel between the two superstars did not live up to its promise – yet it became the most lucrative fight in boxing history (4.6 million pay-per-view purchases). The event also generated a world record of 72 million US dollars in live revenue at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Netflix continues its strategy
Netflix is continuing its expansion strategy in live boxing with Mayweather vs. The streaming service first broadcast the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson exhibition fight in November 2024, generating 108 million live viewers worldwide according to its own figures. The fight card at the time also included the mega duel Katie Taylor vs. In September 2025, Netflix broadcast the Undisputed showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, which was streamed by 41.4 million viewers. The streaming service will also exclusively broadcast the comeback of former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 from London.
Text: Frank Schwantes