Pacquiao cites signed contract for professional fight as Mayweather questions terms and Las Vegas venue
Manny Pacquiao says his rematch with Floyd Mayweather must proceed as a professional fight under a signed contract. The statement follows Mayweather’s comments suggesting the bout could be an exhibition and that venue details are not finalized.
Mayweather had recently stated the fight could be an exhibition and suggested the venue, including The Sphere in Las Vegas, was not finalized. That contradicts the original announcement, which presented the bout as a professional contest tied to a major streaming deal.
Pacquiao addressed that directly.
“Is that what he’s feeling? But he signed a contract for a real fight … I don’t want to fight an exhibition, it’s a real fight. That’s the contract that he signed. He has to remember that … There’s no reason that [it won’t happen.]”
That response draws a clear line. Pacquiao is holding Mayweather to the signed terms, while Mayweather’s comments reopen questions around format and location.
The event is tied to Netflix and was presented as the first boxing card at The Sphere, a rollout that typically follows finalized agreements. Any shift to exhibition terms would change how the fight is sold and recorded.
Both fighters still have separate bookings on the calendar. Mayweather is scheduled for exhibition appearances against Mike Zambidis in June and Mike Tyson later in the year. Pacquiao had announced a bout with Ruslan Provodnikov, though that situation remains unclear.
For now, the issue is simple. One side is pointing to a signed contract for a professional fight. The other is publicly adjusting the terms. The next move decides whether this stays a record fight or becomes another exhibition.