The rematch scheduled for September 19 between boxing icons Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is “still on,” despite Mayweather’s apparent “breach of contract” following his recent remarks regarding the upcoming event in Las Vegas.
During a meet and greet at Caesar’s Palace this past Saturday, Mayweather stated to Vegas Sports Today, “we don’t know the location of the fight. The Sphere is one of the venues that has been discussed. So we are uncertain if it will definitely take place there. And this is not actually a fight. It’s an exhibition.”
Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions and a producer for the event, expressed his disapproval of Mayweather’s comments, informing ESPN on Wednesday that the undefeated boxer’s statements violate their agreement.
“As of now, the fight remains scheduled. There is no termination of any kind, and he has signed for a professional bout,” Mathur stated. “Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract. He has been in breach since the moment he made those comments on Saturday and he is officially in breach as of yesterday.”
Mathur indicated to ESPN that he has been in talks with Mayweather’s team since the boxer’s remarks on Saturday, with Team Mayweather pushing to alter the fight from a sanctioned professional match to an exhibition, which constitutes one of several violations of the fight contract.
Mathur suggested that Mayweather was also aware of a recent site visit to The Sphere that included 35-40 representatives from Manny Pacquiao Promotions, Mayweather Promotions, and Netflix, along with producers Hidden Empires, EverWonder Studios, and Limitless X Holdings.
Mayweather’s proposed June exhibition with Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis also directly contravenes his agreement to face Pacquiao, according to Mathur, who noted that there is a cure period during which Mayweather can address the violation after receiving written notification of the breach.
Mathur also mentioned that Mayweather has already taken an advance on his fight purse.
“Floyd Mayweather signed not one, not two, but three separate agreements on three different dates with two different parties that ultimately became intertwined in January,” Mathur explained. “The first was on October 24th. The second was on November 6th. The third was on December 14th. He received payment for all three agreements upon signing. Additionally, he has also taken an advance on his purse for his fight against Pacquiao.”
The Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 matchup was announced in February as a professional boxing event just days after Mayweather declared he would be returning from retirement for an event set to take place at The Sphere and to be streamed globally on Netflix.
The fight was intended to be, as Mathur described, the “first ever sports and entertainment event in boxing” that would be a spectacle and utilize the technology of the $2.3 billion entertainment venue.
“No one in these last three months has mentioned anything regarding the venue or the fight not being a professional match,” Mathur stated. “His team has had all the contracts. He signed all the contracts. We have the DocuSign proofs as well as wet signatures with his device ID, his IP address, and everything documented.”
Ultimately, a standoff is expected as Mathur indicated that Manny Pacquiao will not agree to change the fight to an exhibition, as he remains determined to avenge his 2015 defeat to Mayweather.
“If he’s afraid of Manny and does not want to risk his record in a professional boxing match, not only should he have never signed any of these agreements, but he should just come out and say it because Manny isn’t afraid,” Mathur stated.
“We organized this to create something that the fans would appreciate and that would be a significant sports event. We aimed to do something historic, and he wants to attempt to alter the terms at the last minute because he believes he can. No, he can’t. That is not happening.”
