Manny Pacquiao has insisted that his much-anticipated rematch with Floyd Mayweather this September will be a professional bout, not an exhibition, contradicting comments made by the American boxing legend earlier this week.
Netflix announced last month that Pacquiao and Mayweather, both now in their late forties, would face off at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19, marking a long-awaited return to the ring after their 2015 fight, which generated 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and became the highest-grossing event in boxing history.
However, Mayweather recently surprised the boxing world by describing the rematch as purely for entertainment.
“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.”
Pacquiao pushed back on Thursday, emphasizing that the contract he signed stipulates a sanctioned professional fight.
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“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 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,” Pacquiao added.
He also noted that Netflix’s February announcement “reflected the exact terms of our agreement” and that his team expects the “original terms of the agreement to be honoured.”
On Wednesday, Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, criticized Mayweather’s remarks during an interview with ESPN, asserting that the fight is set to go ahead as planned.
“Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract,” Mathur said, reinforcing Pacquiao’s position that the bout will be fought under professional rules.