Pacquiao Confirms Mayweather Fight Talks After Political Career Fizzles

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Part 2 is in the works, more than 10 years since their first battle.

Pacquiao, who returned to boxing from a four-year absence in July, said Wednesday that he is looking to secure his next opponent and that Mayweather is one of the leading candidates.

“Right now, we have a lot of negotiations about my next fight. There’s a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather, and also there’s a fight with [Vasiliy] Lumachinko and other fighter[s]. Soon, we’re going to announce the final decision of what fight that we’re going to post,” Pacquiao said at a press conference in Manila on Wednesday. 

The Ring was first to report that a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather is being explored for next year. The potential fight would take place at the Las Vegas Sphere and would be streamed on Netflix, which saw huge viewership numbers for its Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight last year. In terms of timing, Pacquiao announced earlier this month that his next fight will be Jan. 24.

When asked which opponent he prefers for his next fight, Pacquiao said a rematch against Mayweather would be his first option.

“I’d love to have a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, so I hope that the negotiations… We can understand each other and that we can negotiate well,” Pacquiao said. 

Pacquiao,46, and Mayweather, 48, were last in the ring together on May 2, 2015. The fight was one of the most-anticipated in boxing history—and reportedly grossed $600 million—even though both fighters were already considered past their prime. Mayweather won via unanimous decision.

Mayweather retired two years later, though he has fought in several exhibition bouts since, most recently in August 2024 against John Gotti III. He has an undefeated 50–0 professional record.

Pacquiao announced his retirement in September 2021. He shifted his focus on his political career in the Philippines, where he was a member of the senate from 2016 to 2022. He ran for president in 2022, but placed a distant third. He then attempted to reclaim his seat in the senate, but lost again during the 2025 midterm elections in May.

A week later, Pacquiao announced he would return to the ring to fight Mario Barrios in July. 

“I’m coming back because boxing is my passion. It’s all I think about, and I really like to make history,” Pacquiao told ESPN.

Pacquiao looked spry in his return against the 30-year-old Barrios, but the fight ended in a majority draw.