Rematch for the ages

If ever the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. takes place as reported in April at the Sphere in Las Vegas, it will be over 10 years since their first meeting broke revenue records to deliver at least $300 million from ticket sales and pay-per-view proceeds.

The fighters bankrolled over $100 million each for the bout that was billed as the “Battle For Greatness” with the unified world welterweight championship on the line. Mayweather won via a unanimous 12-round decision with judges Burt Clements and Glenn Feldman scoring it both 116-112 and judge Dave Moretti, 118-110. Clements and Feldman awarded four rounds to Pacquiao and Moretti, only two in a lopsided view of what transpired in the ring.

Despite the judges’ scorecards, Pacquiao said he thought he did enough to win. So did a lot of ringsiders. After the fight, it was disclosed that Pacquiao suffered a torn rotator cuff in the fourth round and engaged Mayweather with one arm from that point until the last bell. Writer John MacDonald of Boxing Monthly Magazine spoke to Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach about it and said, “Roach believes that Pacquiao’s injury was the definitive factor in determining the outcome whereas Pacquiao believes he was on the wrong end of a bad decision.” Roach was quoted as saying, “Manny still thinks he won the fight and Bob (Arum) thinks Manny won the fight … it was a close call, Manny fought well considering the injury … at 100 percent, I feel he could dominate Mayweather.” Pacquiao underwent surgery to repair the shoulder damage and has never looked back.

For years, Pacquiao has called out Mayweather for a rematch but was ignored. Since facing Pacquiao, Mayweather has fought only twice, beating Andre Berto on points and stopping mixed martial artist Conor McGregor in the 10th round. He hasn’t seen action in a “real” fight since 2017 but dabbled in novelty exhibitions. In contrast, Pacquiao has been more active since the Mayweather encounter, taking in eight fights, winning five, losing two and drawing one. He also took part in two exhibitions.

If and when they face off in a rematch in April, Mayweather will be 49 and Pacquiao, 47. Neither is a reigning world champion so it’ll be a fight for pride and of course, money. Mayweather’s record is 50-0 with 27 KOs while Pacquiao’s mark is 62-8-3 with 39 KOs. Mayweather has more to lose than Pacquiao because a defeat will mean the first stain on his record. For Pacquiao, it’s his time for vengeance and a chance to prove who’s the better man.

The Sphere has a seating capacity of 17,600 and was built at a cost of $2.3 billion in 2023. It’s 366 feet high and 516 feet wide. Last year, the venue hosted a UFC event featuring Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili in the main attraction. Total gate was $21.9 million. Ticket sales for the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout in 2015 amounted to $72.2 million. Will a rematch come close to even matching that figure?