Floyd Mayweather Jr. Faces Contract Trouble Ahead of Pacquiao Rematch
PACQUIAO – Excitement quickly turned into uncertainty after new claims surfaced about the highly anticipated Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch.
Tension is building around the much-anticipated rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, as new reports suggest possible contractual issues involving the American fighter.
According to a report by ESPN’s Andreas Hale, Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, clarified that the highly publicized rematch—announced last month by streaming giant Netflix—is intended to be a professional bout. This directly contradicts Mayweather’s recent public statements suggesting that the fight would only be an exhibition.
Mathur did not mince words when addressing the situation, asserting that Mayweather’s remarks have already put him in violation of their agreement. “As of right now, the fight is still on. There is no termination of any sort, and he (Mayweather) has signed for a professional fight,” Mathur told Hale.
He further emphasized the seriousness of the issue, stating, “Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract. He’s been in a breach since the day he went out and said what he said on Saturday and he’s officially in a breach as of yesterday.”
The fight is currently scheduled for September 19, with The Sphere in Las Vegas being floated as a possible venue. However, Mayweather recently expressed uncertainty about several key details, including the location and the nature of the bout. Speaking to media in Las Vegas, he said, “We don’t know the location of the fight. The Sphere is one of the places that they talked about. So we don’t know if it’s a hundred percent going to be there. And this is not actually a fight. It’s an exhibition,” as reported by Vegas Sports Today.
The potential rematch follows their historic 2015 clash, widely regarded as the most lucrative bout in boxing history, where Mayweather secured a decision victory. Since then, Pacquiao has repeatedly expressed his desire for a rematch under official professional rules, which would require Mayweather to risk his unblemished 50-0 record.
Adding to the controversy are reports that Mayweather plans to participate in other bouts ahead of the Pacquiao fight, including a June matchup with Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis. Mathur claims that such plans could further violate existing agreements.
“Floyd Mayweather signed not one, not two, but three different agreements on three different dates with two different parties that ultimately got intertwined in the month of January,” Mathur continued.
He also revealed financial complications tied to the deal, noting that Mayweather had already received payments. “And this is all related to his return to professional boxing. First one was on October 24th. The second one was on November 6th. Third one was on December 14th. He received money for all three agreements when he signed them. Not only that, but he’s also taken out an advance on his purse for his fight against Pacquiao.”
With conflicting claims and legal concerns now in play, uncertainty looms over whether the long-awaited rematch will proceed as planned.
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