Manny Pacquiao is ready to throw his heaviest punches. While he claims he will inflict a defeat on Floyd Mayweather when they meet once again in September, outside the ring, it appears he has already begun target practice. According to reports, Pacquiao has now filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit targets firms that sued him after his 2015 ‘Fight of the Century’ against Floyd Mayweather—a bout remembered more for its staggering revenue than its listless action.

“Arising from one of the most egregious abuses of the civil justice system, the deliberate prosecution of knowingly false and sensational allegations for the purpose of inflicting reputational damage and coercing payment,” Pacquiao’s lawyers reportedly stated in the lawsuit. “Defendants knowingly and deliberately misused the judicial process to prosecute claims that were completely fabricated from the outset and directly refuted by evidence that Defendants knew about, possessed, and suppressed.”

In February 2016, a restaurant waiter named Gabriel Rueda sued Manny Pacquiao. He claimed he deserved a finder’s fee of $8.6 million for helping set up the Mayweather fight by connecting the boxer’s trainer, Freddie Roach, with then-CBS president Leslie Moonves. In his suit, Rueda demanded $42 million in damages from Pacquiao and even alleged that he was threatened with gruesome messages featuring dismembered bodies by Pacquiao.

A judge, however, dismissed the case in 2024. But Pacquiao and his team did not appear content. They are now suing Gabriel Rueda, the lead attorney who represented Rueda in the case, the attorney’s law firm, and two other law firms involved in the prosecution of the original claims. According to the suit, the 2016 lawsuit was based on knowingly false claims, hidden evidence, and sensational accusations meant to pressure Manny Pacquiao into paying. His attorneys, Brian S. Cohen and Gary J. Gorham, stated that the boxer incurred millions in legal fees and damaged his reputation.

“Mr. Pacquiao was required to defend himself for more than eight years against allegations that, as the court ultimately found, were unsupported by evidence,” the official statement from Pacquiao’s legal team read. “This filing seeks accountability through the legal system for the decision to initiate and continue prosecuting allegations that, as alleged, lacked probable cause. The integrity of the judicial process depends on truthfulness and evidentiary support. When that foundation is absent, the law provides a remedy.”

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The fight at the MGM Grand Arena drew roughly 4.6 million PPV buys, generated over $400 million, and paid both Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao career-high purses. While the fight still stands as the richest in boxing history, the in-ring action failed to match the financial hype, a disappointment that quickly gave way to a different kind of battle in the courtroom.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather: Past their prime, but not past the drama

Quite a few lawsuits against Pacquiao at the time included the alleged failure on the champion’s and his promoter’s part to disclose details regarding his shoulder injury before the purchase of tickets and the PPV telecast.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are back where it started. But instead of boxers in their prime, they meet as former champions deep into their 40s. Mayweather turned 49 three days ago, while the Filipino star is 47. Even the landscape has changed.

While both return to Las Vegas, they square up at the Sphere instead of the iconic MGM Grand. More significantly, unlike their previous engagement, which was a pay-per-view exclusive, Mayweather-Pacquiao II will be a Netflix showdown.

While details about the fight are still filtering in, information about their potential purses remains undisclosed. Many are asking whether the second fight will live up to the buildup it generated a decade ago.

By making this legal move now, Pacquiao could be seeking a psychological edge heading into the rematch. Meanwhile, his rival is dealing with his own issues, as Mayweather is enmeshed in a separate $340 million legal case he filed against former broadcast partners Showtime and its then-president Stephen Espinoza.