Boxing
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 spirals out of control as the first card drops
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 has left the Sphere and the first card on the Las Vegas schedule has fallen.
The rematch was sold along with a date, a location and enough fan hope to keep it alive after Manny Pacquiao’s team staged the Sept. 19 Sphere as the centerpiece of the event.
Now the Eagles have taken the field, the rematch is over and the idea that Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 may never happen has resurfaced.
The Eagles announced modern dates for the Sphere event on September 18 and 19, falling on the same weekend that was rescheduled for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2.
That in itself doesn’t mean the fight is canceled. However, it removes a spot that Pacquiao’s team used as the backbone of the entire field before Floyd Mayweather even confirmed the fight in those same words.
The bullet was a sale
Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, previously told World Boxing News that the original plan was to rely on Sphere’s scale, technology and capabilities to transform Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 into something beyond a normal fight night.
“The scope speaks for itself. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world,” Mathur told WBN, presenting the original plan. “When organizing an event of this importance, you choose a place that suits the moment.”
He added: “It’s not just boxing. For the first time in history, a fight of this scale will be fought in the most technologically advanced venue in the world, providing a live cinematic experience.”
It was a sale. Now that selling point is gone.
Uncertainty persisted from the moment the two sides began publicly moving in different directions. Pacquiao’s men pushed through with a fully sanctioned professional fight, while Mayweather publicly only discussed exhibition conditions while talking about a possible return.
Losing the Sphere only makes the gap between rivals harder to ignore.
The first card falls
Fans have been here before with Mayweather. The date is set, the fight is postponed, names, places and money are discussed, and then everything waits for that one person who always dictates the terms.
The frustration is sharper this time because the Sphere wasn’t a throwaway detail. This was the stage on which Pacquiao’s team promoted the rematch as something bigger than just another exhibition-era performance.
This stage now belongs to the Eagles.
Mayweather has already made progress by setting up a separate fight with Mike Zambidis in Greece, leaving Pacquiao behind in a fight that actually has a date, opponent and direction.
Zambidis became the fight that was going on, while Pacquiao remained the topic of discussion.
David Benavidez has also been linked to September 19 at T-Mobile Arena, though it’s not official, meaning boxing could still be a major event in Las Vegas that night – but not the Sphere spectacle that Pacquiao was originally selling.
House of cards
The danger to Pacquiao’s team is obvious. When Sphere leaves, the tone of broadcasting will change. When the tone of the broadcast changes, the money will change. When money changes, every signature, down payment and condition attached to the contract will come under pressure.
This is how the house of cards begins to collapse.
Mayweather has spent his entire career calling the shots, the timing, the rules and the risks. Pacquiao’s team tried to sell a rematch built around a huge venue and a fully sanctioned fight. Mayweather has never fully agreed with this version publicly.
Now the first card is gone.
Until Floyd Mayweather says so himself, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 is not a fight. This is a plan where we publicly lose pieces.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
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