Floyd Mayweather Jr Says Manny Pacquiao Fight Is Exhibition

Mayweather says September 19 Las Vegas event will not count on official records

Floyd Mayweather says his planned September 19 return against Manny Pacquiao will be an exhibition rather than a professional fight. The event will not count on their official records.

Mayweather said tonight key details are still unsettled, including the venue. “As of right now, we don’t know exactly where the fight is gonna be at,” he said. “The Sphere is one of the places that they talked about, so we don’t know if it’s 100 percent gonna be there.” He then added the more telling line: “This is not actually a fight. It’s an exhibition.”

Despite being listed on BoxRec as a pro bout and early promos suggesting otherwise, Floyd stated, “This is not actually a fight. It’s an exhibition.” Even though the Sphere was the headlining location for the Netflix deal, Mayweather mentioned that the venue is not 100% locked in yet.

Mayweather is viewing this as a way to stay active and have fun while he spends his retirement days with his grandkids, rather than a quest for “redemption” or a true sequel to 2015.

The 49-year-old has remained active in retirement through a run of exhibition appearances, and his comments point to the same approach for this event. There is no suggestion of a competitive rematch or an attempt to revisit the result of their 2015 meeting. Instead, Mayweather described the outing in practical terms tied to activity and routine rather than rivalry.

“So if I’m just sitting at home and I’m just working out every day, spending time with my grandson, spending time with my children, I said, ‘Why not go out, have a little fun, entertain and put on some exhibitions?’” he said.

With the location still unconfirmed and the format now defined, the Pacquiao date is moving forward as a staged event built around presentation rather than an official result.

Since this won’t go on their official records, it takes the pressure off the 50-0 legacy. It also fits in with Floyd’s busy 2026 schedule, which includes other planned exhibitions against Mike Tyson in April and Mike Zambidis in June.

For Manny, this might be a bit of a letdown. He’s been much more vocal about wanting to hand Floyd his first real loss. Now, it looks like he’ll have to settle for a high-production “staged event” instead.

At 49 and 47, we aren’t getting the “Fight of the Century” speed or power. Floyd has been playing it safe with exhibitions for years (Logan Paul, John Gotti III, etc.). He’s mastered the art of moving just enough to not get hit while doing just enough to get paid.

Manny (47): He’s stayed a bit more “real.” Between his 2024 draw with Mario Barrios and his upcoming April exhibition with Ruslan Provodnikov, he still seems to have that itch to actually compete, which makes Floyd’s “it’s just an exhibition” comment even more of a buzzkill for Manny’s camp.