Boxing
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao 2: Why is the rematch happening?
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There's an old saying in the entertainment industry that when a sequel or a remake of a movie or television show, 'It's never as good as the original'. Two prime examples of that are Major League 2 and Fuller House. But there's an occasion where you do get a Terminator 2, and we end up yearning for a second installment of one of our favorite films or shows.
On Monday's episode of Inside The Ring, it was announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are having their much-discussed rematch on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Las Vegas. The Sphere is the leading candidate to host the fight.
Mayweather and Pacquiao met on May 2, 2015, with the former winning by unanimous decision. The fight had been deemed "The Fight of the Century" as Mayweather and Pacquiao, for a time, were boxing's pound-for-pound best and the marquee attractions in a sport that desperately needed stars after the retirements of Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya. The world stood still as the fight generated record-breaking PPV numbers with over 4.6 million buys and a gate of $72 million inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. For all the hype, Mayweather and Pacquiao delivered a dud inside the ring once the opening bell sounded.
If the first go-around didn't deliver any action beyond lining up Mayweather's and Pacquiao's checking accounts, why is the rematch happening over 10 years later, as Mayweather turns 49 on Tuesday and Pacquiao turned 47 in December?
Money, money, and more money. Now, depending on who you believe and what day it is, Mayweather reportedly made between $220-$250 million while Pacquiao earned between $120-$150 million. It is unknown how much each will make in the rematch.
Unfortunately, in what happens far too often in boxing, fighters often come back because they need money and not because they miss the sport. Pacquiao's money issues have been documented for years, including owing money to the IRS and donating his finances to those in need in his native Philippines.
Boxing's only eight-division champion appeared to be retired in August 2021 after a lopsided loss to Yordenis Ugas. But financial problems led Pacquiao back to the ring and returned in July when he battled then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw. It was a result many felt should have gone to Pacquiao.
He shockingly announced on Friday his return to action in a 10-round exhibition on April 18 against Ruslan Provodnikov.
On the other hand, Mayweather returns to action in April against Mike Tyson in another exhibition. Then on Friday, Mayweather also announced he would be returning to active competition following the Tyson exhibition.
Mayweather retired in August 2017, knocking out UFC superstar Conor McGregor. He's taken a couple of exhibitions but always declared that would be it because he always claimed to be financially secure.
The Michigan native always came off like everything was just fine based on his perceived wealth after generating over $1 billion in fight revenue. He was number one on the Forbes list as the highest-paid athlete from 2012 to 2014. But the lavish cars, homes, and jets appear to have caught up to the man known as "Money" as the pot has appeared to run dry.
Recently, Mayweather filed a $340 million lawsuit against Showtime and former executive Stephen Espinoza due to "misappropriated funds and damages resulting from a long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy orchestrated by Floyd J. Mayweather's former manager and advisor, Al Haymon, with the knowing and substantial participation and aid of Defendants Showtime Networks Inc. and Stephen Espinoza, among others."
Also, Mayweather is facing three new lawsuits totaling over $5 million for jewelry and failure to pay rent on a luxury apartment. It's rumored he owes back taxes and is facing other lawsuits, but DAZN News was unable to confirm those reports.
Multiple sources, though, have told DAZN News that people representing Mayweather have been reaching out to various places to setup appearance and autograph signings. The same sources have said one of the main topics of conversation regarding a return is his 50-0 record. He wants to stay undefeated and feels Pacquiao is a safe enough fight to make another big payday with very little risk of losing the "0".
People want to remember the all-time greats with reverence.
You couldn't have dreamt a better finale for Mayweather and Pacquiao in what should have been a perfect bow to their legendary careers.
Sadly, our lasting image will be the two of the best pound-for-pound boxers long past their prime hugging it because they mishandled their money and now have to put their lives at great harm.
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