The Las Vegas Sphere gears up for its first boxing match, with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao scheduled to face each other again in the gambling mecca, nearly a decade after their first bout set financial records for the sport.
The rematch will take place Sept. 19 and will be streamed live on Netflix, marking the first boxing event at the popular venue. The fight is being promoted as Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 and comes one day before Mayweather’s 49th birthday. Pacquiao is 47.
The original meeting between the two boxers occurred in 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Mayweather won by unanimous decision. That event drew a gate of $72 million from a crowd of 16,219 and generated 4.4 million pay-per-view purchases, bringing in more than $400 million.
“Floyd and I gave the world what is still the biggest fight in boxing history,” Pacquiao said in the fight’s announcement. “The fans have waited long enough — they deserve this rematch, and it will be even bigger since it will be streamed live globally on Netflix. I want Floyd to be forever haunted by the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”
Mayweather responded in the same announcement. “I already fought and beat Manny once,” Mayweather said. “This time will be the same result.”
The Sept. 19 event will be the second combat sports showcase held at the Sphere. UFC 306 was staged there on Sept. 14, 2024, producing a $22 million gate. UFC president Dana White said afterward that he likely would not host another card at the venue because of production costs exceeding $20 million to fully utilize the arena’s immersive technology.
Gabe Spitzer, vice president of sports at Netflix, referenced the fighters’ history in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Earlier in my career, I spent weeks in Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s training camps in Las Vegas and the Philippines,” Spitzer said. “It was undeniable that they were the two hardest workers in boxing, and their wins and accolades were a product of that.
“Bringing this rematch to Netflix is a massive ‘full circle’ moment. We’re thrilled to combine their storied rivalry with the immersive technology of Sphere to deliver a landmark sporting event to our members worldwide.”
Pacquiao enters the rematch with a professional record of 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts. Before facing Mayweather again, he is scheduled to participate in an exhibition bout against Russia’s Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Mayweather holds a 50-0 record with 27 knockouts. He also has an exhibition match planned this spring against Mike Tyson, although further details about that event have not been released.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/25/117757-mayweather-and-pacquiao-to-headline-first-boxing-event-at-las-vegas-sphere
