Floyd Mayweather continues to take hits to his reputation, and now Oscar De La Hoya has joined the conversation to make things even more humiliating. This comes after ‘Money’ contradicted Netflix’s announcement for his September 19 fight against Manny Pacquiao at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The undefeated legend claimed the fight was not a professional bout, and the venue hadn’t been finalized despite the official announcement by the streaming giant. 

Even Jas Mathur, the CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, told ESPN that the fight would be a professional bout and not an exhibition. As a result, Mayweather appeared to be in breach of his contract. Mathur also alleged that Mayweather had already taken out an advance from his fight purse. The entire fiasco became ammo for his rival Oscar De La Hoya‘s weekly ‘Clapback Thursday’ episode.

“Mayweather, come on, dude, fight a real fight,” De La Hoya said in his video. “You’re still trying to protect your O. Yes, you’re 50 and O on paper, but people know you’ve lost. S–t, your own father said you lost against me back when we fought, and what’s crazy is that people don’t know that we had a rematch clause for one year, and what do you do? Your p—y a– retires for one year and one day.

“Bro, ever since I got beat up by Manny Pacquiao in my last fight, I’ve wanted to fight every single day, but I couldn’t because I wasn’t right physically [and] emotionally. I just wasn’t right. All that depression, all that s–t that I had with my spirit, but now these last five years, I’ve put in the work, man. I did a lot of work, and I feel happy. I feel at peace, and you know what? A man at peace is a dangerous f–king man. I can f–king take on King Kong if I want and beat his a–. S–t, I will even fight Jake Paul.”

It’s worth noting that Mathur claims Mayweather’s team has been pushing to reclassify the bout as an exhibition ever since Mayweather’s recent remarks. He also revealed that Mayweather was aware of a recent site visit to The Sphere, attended by 35–40 representatives from Manny Pacquiao Promotions, Mayweather Promotions, and Netflix, along with producers from Hidden Empires, EverWonder Studios, and Limitless X Holdings.

Mathur further alleged that Mayweather’s scheduled June exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis constitutes a breach of contract. However, he explained that a cure period is in place, during which Mayweather will receive formal written notice and an opportunity to remedy the violation. Despite the dispute, Mathur insists that Manny Pacquiao remains firm in his stance: the fight must proceed as a professional bout. 

The Filipino boxing legend is determined to avenge his 2015 defeat. Mathur didn’t hold back in his closing remarks, challenging Mayweather directly—if he’s afraid of losing, he should come forward and admit it. In the meantime, Manny Pacquiao himself has also broken his silence on the matter. 

Manny Pacquiao responds to Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition claim

When the pair met in 2015, the fight generated record-breaking numbers—figures that have yet to be matched in combat sports—but the bout itself fell short of the hype. Mayweather stayed elusive throughout, while Pacquiao struggled to close the distance. Now, ‘Pacman’ is determined to make amends.

After coming out of retirement last year—nearly four years after stepping away—Pacquiao faced Mario Barrios in a comeback bout that ended in a majority draw. With unfinished business still lingering, he has his sights set firmly on redemption.

Following Mayweather’s recent comments, Pacquiao shared his response in a statement to AFP.

“I want to be very clear that the contract we signed is for a professional boxing match. This is not an exhibition; it is a real fight,” he said. “I wish to clear up any misinformation regarding my upcoming bout against Floyd Mayweather. From the beginning, my intention has been to give the fans what they truly want to see—a high-level, competitive, sanctioned fight.”

He also pointed to Netflix’s February announcement, claiming it reflected the exact terms of their agreement. Now, he and his team expect Mayweather to honor the original agreement.

For now, all signs point toward the fight collapsing. Mayweather could opt to walk away to preserve his undefeated record, leaving fans disappointed. The situation remains as uncertain as can be.