Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has clarified that his scheduled September bout with Floyd Mayweather will be a professional fight, contradicting recent claims that it would be merely an exhibition.
The highly anticipated rematch, first announced by Netflix, is set to take place on September 19 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The clash revisits one of boxing’s biggest events, following their record-breaking 2015 encounter which generated 4.6 million pay-per-view buys.
Earlier this week, Mayweather described the upcoming bout as entertainment rather than competition.
“It’s an exhibition, so we’re both winners,” he said in an interview with Vegas Sports Today. “We just want to go out there and entertain the people and put on a good show.”
However, Pacquiao has firmly rejected that characterization, stating that the agreement signed outlines a sanctioned professional contest.
“I want to be very clear that the contract we signed is for a professional boxing match. This is not an exhibition; it is a real fight,” he said in a statement sent to AFP.
“I wish to clear up any misinformation regarding my upcoming bout against Floyd Mayweather. From the beginning, my intention has been to give the fans what they truly want to see. A high-level, competitive sanctioned fight,” he added.
Pacquiao also noted that the original announcement accurately reflected the terms agreed upon and emphasized that his camp expects those conditions to be upheld.
Tensions have further escalated after Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, criticized Mayweather’s remarks in an interview with ESPN.
“Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract,” he said, signaling a potential dispute ahead of the much-anticipated showdown.
