Floyd Mayweather is on thin ice, and cracks are starting to show. While legal issues stack up outside the ring, Mayweather now faces a deadline inside. He needs to finalize the deal for the rematch against Manny Pacquiao. The boxing great, who came out of retirement two months ago, drew attention when he declared the Pacquiao fight would be an exhibition and not a real fight.
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With Pacquiao’s team insisting it’s a proper professional bout, the rematch scheduled for September now faces uncertainty. The timeline is tightening for the boxing greats. Speaking on Inside The Ring, Manny Pacquiao slammed Mayweather for dilly-dallying, while Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, said a decision on the rematch must be confirmed by April 14 EOB.
“Listen, we’re getting ahead,” Mathur said. “We’re getting ahead. As long as he’s (Mayweather) got smart people around him that can see the size of the opportunity, then they can make him a lot of money, more money than he’s made in any, in the last five years.”
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Even so, questions remain around whether all sides can align in time. Mathur’s response prompted Mike Coppinger, Ring Magazine’s boxing insider and one of the panelists on Inside The Ring, to ask if legal proceedings would follow if all sides – Netflix, Mayweather, and Pacquiao – fail to reach common ground.
“I guess, I guess, look, we—that’s not directly in, in, in our hands or in my hands to speak on,” Mathur replied. “There’s many parties involved, but all I can say is we are making headway on it. There is a contract in place, and, you know, I think a better sense will prevail here. We hope it will.”
Full commentary on the April 14th deadline to finalize Mayweather-Pacquiao 2. pic.twitter.com/ygvl3T26Ph
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) April 13, 2026
Pacquiao, who also appeared on the show, however, struck a different tone.
Manny Pacquiao turns up the heat on Floyd Mayweather
“That’s not what we signed. We signed for a real fight. He got his advance. Why is he announcing this propaganda exhibition?” Pacquiao stated. “For me, he cannot get out of his contract because he is going to face a lot of consequences if he doesn’t fight and fails his commitment. I think he’s scared of losing. That’s his leverage, to go around and have exhibitions because of his undefeated record. If that record will be ruined, what else will he be able to leverage?”
The Filipino legend’s frustration is clear.
But beyond the back-and-forth, a bigger question continues to linger – what direction does this rematch actually take?
Ending his 4-year retirement, Pacquiao returned to professional boxing last year, facing then-welterweight champion Mario Barrios. Though the bout ended in a stalemate, his performance, despite being on the wrong side of 40, earned considerable praise and helped ease concerns over his comeback.
That return also set the stage for Floyd Mayweather to follow a year later, making a rematch feel like a logical next step. Their 2015 meeting, despite generating millions, ended as a dull contest that drew criticism from fans and analysts alike.
That expectation took a hit when Mayweather said the rematch would be an exhibition – not a real fight.
He already has two exhibition bouts lined up – one against Mike Tyson and another against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis. The Tyson matchup remains uncertain, while updates around the Zambidis bout have also quieted. Given those commitments, his push for a third exhibition against Pacquiao has raised questions.
Mayweather now deals with this situation alongside legal challenges. Soon after reports indicated the IRS had filed a $7.3 million tax lien, a private jet service filed a lawsuit claiming an unpaid bill worth $105,000.
Those issues now unfold alongside the looming deadline for the Pacquiao rematch. With only hours left, attention turns to what steps both sides take—and whether this long-awaited fight finally moves forward or falls apart once again.
