A Mayweather vs Pacquiao rematch is set to go down in 2024, which World Boxing News understands could be on a New Year’s Eve RIZIN event.
The fight has been in the pipeline for many years. However, nobody had Floyd Mayweather facing Manny Pacquiao again in Japan on their 2024 bingo card.
Saudi Arabian investors wanted to stage the bout in 2020, as WBN exclusively revealed. However, the pandemic ended any chances of that happening.
Mayweather and Pacquiao could not revive Middle Eastern offers as Saudi Arabia moved on to securing some of the most significant heavyweight bouts of the modern era.
Therefore, ‘MayPac 2’ will head to Asia unless the United States or the Saudis reignite their interest. It’s simply a matter of money, and RIZIN’s is the only solid paycheck on the table.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2
Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 was always going to happen. It was just a matter of when and where.
In 2015, Mayweather vs Pacquiao made over $400 million as the contest made its way into the record books and has stayed there ever since.
The fans craved the fight for five years previously, leading to mass hysteria when the Pay Per View encounter made it over the line.
This time around, in 2024, nobody is really that bothered about seeing the two legends sharing a ring again. Despite the lack of a spike, WBN believes the return can make each fighter at least seven zeros.
PPV sales of 4.7 million the first time around undoubtedly cannot be matched. However, securing a quarter of that is doable in the current climate.
We are talking about the two most significant sports names over the last twenty-five years.
PPV ambitions
The venue is the only question mark to the fight, making over a million buys. Staging in Japan puts a big question mark against those ambitions.
Las Vegas is potentially the only place that could garner anything above a six-digit scenario, with Mayweather and Pacquiao probably needing to get licensed for a professional into the bargain.
An exhibition in Tokyo may not cut the mustard and may keep the contest in the higher hundreds of thousands rather than the millions.
It’s an unwarranted rematch at best. Mayweather will be pushing 48, with Pacquiao turning 46 weeks before the bout. That, on its own, is a hard sell.
Historically, two big-name legends can do good business, though, as Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. proved. Mayweather will undoubtedly have noted that in his decision to secure any Pacquiao bag in the coming months.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay.
