Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch postponed indefinitely

A highly anticipated rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has been postponed indefinitely, according to Pacquiao's camp in the Philippines. This announcement came after ESPN reported that a planned Mayweather exhibition in Greece had been canceled following an injunction sought by the events company connected to the Pacquiao bout.

Both fighters, who have a storied history, faced significant challenges leading up to this fight. Their previous encounter in 2015 generated a remarkable 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, but recent developments have put their rematch in jeopardy. Mayweather stirred confusion in the boxing world when he declared that the rematch announced by Netflix for September would be designated only as an exhibition, a claim that Pacquiao strongly contested.

In a statement released by Pacquiao's camp on Friday, they attributed the postponement to "a volatile mix of federal lawsuits, scheduling overbooks, and financial gridlock completely surrounding the Mayweather camp." The events company CSI had filed a lawsuit against Mayweather last week, seeking to reclaim at least $4.65 million, which they allege was paid for exclusive rights to promote the Pacquiao rematch as well as an exhibition fight with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson that did not occur.

According to the statement, the earliest possible date for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight could be early 2027. The Pacquiao team indicated that should Mayweather and CSI resolve their internal contract disputes out of court, the promoters would promptly reschedule the postponed exhibition fight between Mayweather and Mike Tyson, tentatively aiming for September 12.

Mayweather, who retired from boxing in 2017 with an undefeated record of 50-0, was supposed to fight an exhibition match against Greek kickboxing star Mike Zambidis on Saturday in a pay-per-view event at the Telekon Center in the OAKA Olympic Complex in Athens. The shelved Pacquiao bout would have marked another chapter in the history of high-stakes boxing, having been set to be one of the most lucrative rematches in the sport’s history.