The long-awaited rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0, 27 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) is in the works on Netflix for 2026.
Netflix’s Nostalgia Experiment
There are enough older fans still around to bring in many new Netflix subscribers who are interested in watching the former champions in action. Pacquiao has been pressuring Mayweather for years to give him a rematch, and it looks like he’s finally getting his wish.
This would be the rematch of their ‘Fight of the Century from May 2, 2015, which Mayweather Jr. won by a tactical 12-round unanimous decision. It was a typical chess-match type of performance from Floyd, which the casual fans, many of whom were unfamiliar with him and had paid $100 to watch on PPV, were not pleased with. They demanded action, and that wasn’t Mayweather’s style.
Eddy Pronishev’s Judgment: The Great Ripoff
The two stars raked in a fortune with their disappointing fight. Floyd hauled in over $200 million, while Pacquiao’s take was over $100 million. Worldwide, the event brought in close to $600 million. After all these years, there’s not likely to be enough interest from fans for the rematch to bring in the same kind of revenue.
Entertainment-wise, the fight resembled an undercard bout, with fighters paid in the thousands, not millions. Pacquiao fought with an injured right shoulder, and Mayweather took no chances, throwing single punches, holding, and moving. It was beyond boring. The most accurate word for this fight was ‘Ripoff.
Fans are more interested in watching younger, relevant fighters than in paying to watch wealthy old-timers, coming back for another payday to take advantage of the fame they once had.
Old Kings, New Cash Flow
Mayweather will be 49 on February 24, 2026, and it’s questionable whether he’s got enough left to defeat Pacquiao in an exhibition or a real fight.
“I am hearing from reliable sources that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, more than 10 years later, a rematch is seriously being discussed to take place next year,” said boxing insider Mike Coppinger to DAZN. “There’s a real possibility this is going to happen.
“Mayweather is now 46, I believe [Correction: 48 years old], and Pacquiao is around the same age. This fight was the biggest fight in history when it happened [in 2015]. All these years later, if the rematch happens, especially after the way Pacquiao looked in July against Mario Barrios, there will be serious interest,” said Coppinger.