PACQUIAO VS MAYWEATHER 2 | SELLING THE STORY

So here’s the thing.

There are two boxing legends about to face off for the second time in September.

One is a 49-year-old undefeated legend, and the other is a 47-year-old eight-time world division champion.

One has a win over the other, and the other wants a second chance to mess up the latter’s unscathed streak.

Meanwhile, fans can’t believe this is happening in 2026.

Or will it?

Because here’s the thing again: this fight shouldn’t be happening in the first place.

And it’s not because of age or even the record—it’s because of their finances.

Hmmm.

I’m not a financial guru. This sports blog writer has been draining his finances ever since he got into collectibles. I just had a “booboo” on my Amazon account and “accidentally” bought a Topps Flagship Costco box because I wanted to pull a Cooper Flagg Big Box Baller or a parallel card. Hell, maybe I can get a numbered Cooper autograph card! Again, I am not a money wizard. However, this is why I distance myself from spending endeavors. Because if my room has hundreds of Funko Pops, die-cast cars, and NBA cards stacked aimlessly, then I shouldn’t be thinking about buying jewelry, going on trips, partying like crazy, and staycationing in hotels.

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are big-time spenders. Yes, I know both boxers have different ways of spending their money, but I can see them spending $100K in an instant without batting an eyelash.

For Mayweather, it’s about the flex. The best way to attract people is by living in luxury.

For Pacquiao, it’s about authority. You can’t have businesses and a life in politics without planting serious seed money.

Pacquiao is extremely notorious for giving away money to people around him. He’s generous with his money to a fault, and I bet people would drool if they found out how much he has given to charity, both legitimate causes and even to someone he just met who asked for help.

However, Mayweather allegedly wants to back out of the fight because he thought this was an exhibition match. The thing about Mayweather is that Netflix will probably hurt him financially to the tune of 100 million if he does the unthinkable and backs out of the fight.

Haha.

However, unless you’re living under a rock and don’t know how these two think, it’s easy to get baited by how they promote the rematch.

Mayweather is also known for selling fights insanely well, but not in a cheating way. Money Mayweather is a strategic genius and a hype magnet. He probably thinks the buzz generated by the rematch isn’t at par with what he hoped, which is why he’s downplaying the fight through reverse psychology by acting like an idiot. No, Mayweather isn’t that dumb not to read the terms that could tarnish his undefeated legacy. He spent the last couple of years going through exhibition matches, facing YouTubers and crossover athletes.

Not only is he fit to face Pac-Man, but he has also set up an excuse in case he loses the fight.

And then on the other side of the spectrum, Pacquiao is playing the straight man in this duo well. If Pacquiao is acting like Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street, then Mayweather is doing his best impersonation of Jonah Hill. Pacquiao is seen in reports as the guy who knows the fight is real, and his team is trying to counter Mayweather’s exhibition match claims. Meanwhile, Pacquiao has also been seen at various NBA games, pitching at Yankee Stadium, and most importantly, is set to face Russian fighter Ruslan Provodnikov in a ten-round exhibition fight on April 18.

The thing to note about Pacquiao is his fitness. Yes, we see his never-say-die attitude, but he also has a history of overexerting himself in training. Shane Mosley has already said that Pacquiao has a rotator cuff issue that bothered him in 2015 and is bothering him in the Ruslan fight, which is probably his “thing” heading into the Mayweather match.

The problem with boxing at the moment is that it’s not as entertaining as it was two decades ago. This is why we don’t really know that Pacquiao is going to face Ruslan in less than a week, and Mayweather may or may not have a match against Mike Tyson on April 25.

And that’s the other thing. As it stands, Netflix is the only worthy vehicle for boxing fights. Mayweather wouldn’t dare mess up his deal with Netflix because this is his only way to get big boxing money. This is a platform seen everywhere in the world and is one of the reasons why once-important platforms like cable, PPVs, and movie houses are becoming irrelevant.

During Pacquiao’s fights, I remember how Sunday mornings had almost no traffic because fans had already trooped to movie houses, sports bars, and barangay hall screenings to watch his awesomeness unfold.

The best thing for both parties is not to mess up their Netflix deals, especially if they want to have more exhibition matches in the future. This is why Mayweather fought Jake Paul and why Pacquiao appeared in Physical: Asia.

But if Mayweather really believes that his match with Pacquiao is an exhibition match, then I get why he wants to back out. At this stage of his career, if he wants another shot at big money, he has to risk losing his undefeated record. And even if the parties agree that this is an exhibition match, he can just turn turtle and absorb Pacquiao’s punches for eight to ten rounds to the delight of many. He can act angry at Pacquiao for making things real midway and abruptly end the match, possibly facing Netflix sanctions.

But I seriously don’t think Netflix would impose a hefty fine on Mayweather if this happens. After all, it creates controversy, and they might even get a documentary out of it. The most important thing for them is to make sure the fight happens in September, and afterward, the two can do whatever they want in the ring—as long as it doesn’t totally bomb.

Either way, the fans get their money’s worth, and I can’t see how his “chickening out” of a loss wouldn’t lead to a final encounter. Mayweather, after all, is a proud man. Yes, Pacquiao is proud as well, but of the two, I can’t see Manny returning to the ring as a trainer—unless it’s for a celebrity exhibition bout. If Mayweather’s finances dry up, he’ll most likely end up becoming a trainer. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it also means the days of living like a rapper in luxury would be gone.

Maybe then they’ll have a real fight once he gets that “exhibition” loss.