Manny Pacquiao Confronts Floyd Mayweather Over Boxing Super Fight’s Biggest Question

10 years ago, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao had their monumental boxing match, billed as ‘Fight of the Century.’ Even though two big names collided in the ring, it left a sour taste for fans as it was devoid of the high-octane action everyone thought it would have. Mayweather took a defense-first approach, relying on counterpunching and movement. Meanwhile, Pacquiao had his own opinion. 

The eight-division champion claimed post-fight that he had suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, which was sustained in his training camp and ended up impacting his ability to throw punches effectively. ‘PacMan’ even believed that he had won the fight, claiming he landed the more significant punches during the bout. But was that true? 

CompuBox stats revealed that Mayweather landed 148 of 435 punches (34%) compared to Pacquiao’s 81 of 429 (19%), which supported the judges’ unanimous decision verdict in Mayweather’s favor. Despite the disappointing action inside the ring, the event managed to generate a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and over $600 million in revenue. Seven more fights later, Pacquiao retired from the sport in 2021 after losing to Yordenis Ugas, but voiced his interest in having a rematch against Mayweather in an exhibition fight. In December 2023, during Rizin’s New Year’s Eve event, Pacquiao even announced that he would want to fight Mayweather in 2024 in an exhibition. However, it failed to materialize.

Now, the 46-year-old is geared to step into the ring against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19, 2025, in Las Vegas for a professional boxing match. The WBC has even placed ‘PacMan’ in the 5th spot in the rankings before the fight. Regardless, with weeks left in the bout, Manny Pacquiao has seemingly reignited his rivalry with Floyd Mayweather.

While training outdoors for his upcoming fight, the Filipino legend was approached by Fight Hype. When asked by a reporter whether the bout was five years too late, Pacquiao didn’t hold back, calling out Mayweather directly and saying, “He’s scared.” While the Filipino boxing legend is taking shots at Mayweather, the other side hasn’t stayed quiet either.

Team Floyd Mayweather gives a reality check to Manny Pacquiao

Amid Pacquiao’s return after four years on the sidelines, some have voiced their disagreement with the title shot the 46-year-old has been given. Jeff Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather’s uncle, criticized the decision to grant Pacquiao an immediate title shot despite being inactive since 2021. “He’s done nothing to be fighting for a world title,” Jeff said on The Mayweather Channel.

“I don’t understand why he’s even fighting for a world title.” Comparing the bout with Mayweather’s clash with former UFC champion Conor McGregor, Jeff Mayweather dismissed the idea of any similarities. “He’s not fighting someone like Conor… He was just the number one guy in the UFC,” Mayweather’s uncle said.

He seemed especially upset about Pacquiao being given an undeserved title opportunity. “You still have guys that are fighting right now to get that number one spot… and you have some guy that hasn’t fought in so many years that just jumps up and takes your spot,” he said.

Even though their fight ended 10 years ago, it appears the sparks of rivalry remain between the two sides. There’s a debate to be had about whether ‘Pac-Man’ could have beaten Mayweather if they had fought 5 years earlier, and we would like to hear your take.