Manny Pacquiao’s costly mistake accidentally handed Floyd Mayweather $4 million, years before his comeback
Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather was the highest-grossing fight in history, and it even earned Mayweather money years after the fight.
The two all-time greats faced off in one of the biggest fights ever in 2015, as Manny Pacquiao challenged Floyd Mayweather for the unified world welterweight championship.
Pacquiao vs Mayweather generated over $600 million, with “PacMan” earning more than $160 million for his share in the bout.
Mayweather himself earned even more for his share, with his last payday for his clash with Pacquiao coming years later due to talks of a rematch.
Manny Pacquiao handed Floyd Mayweather $4 million for leaking a potential rematch
Two years before his comeback fight with Mario Barrios, Pacquiao revealed that he was in talks with Mayweather for a rematch of their 2015 big-money bout.
In a 2023 interview with The Sun, a then-retired Pacquiao leaked that he was in talks with Mayweather for a massive rematch, eight years after their first and only fight.
However, he clearly made a mistake when doing so, as he broke some sort of agreement the two parties had to not discuss a potential fight before it was announced.
Mayweather revealed that this slip-up from Pacquiao earned him a $4 million payout, in conversation with The Pivot Podcast.
The undefeated former champion said: “When Manny Pacquiao spoke about that [a rematch], he shouldn’t have.
“I’m not gonna say he’s right and I’m not gonna say he’s wrong. Just by him saying my name, they gave me a cheque for $4 million.
“He said my name when he wasn’t supposed to. I said, There’s a time and a place for everything.”
The fee was said to be paid by RIZIN, the Japanese promotion that planned to host the fight in Japan if an agreement was made.
This issue has seemed to put a stop to a rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Very little has been said about the fight since Mayweather’s admission, and with Pacquiao back in professional boxing to challenge for world titles, an exhibition fight with his old foe seems out of the question for the time being.
Manny Pacquiao $4 million blunder happened two years before his comeback fight with Mario Barrios
Two years after his wayward mouth cost RIZIN $4 million, Pacquiao is coming back to the ring for his comeback fight at 46 years old.
Pacquiao chose WBC Welterweight champion Barrios as his opponent, as he hopes to become a 13-time world champion.
The win would make Pacquiao one of the oldest world champions in history and cement his legacy even further as an all-time great.
The eight-weight champion is already eyeing up a bout with Conor Benn if he beats Barrios, although Pacquiao’s lightning-fast punches that made him famous are not what they used to be.
This will undoubtedly be his toughest test yet. An exhibition fight with Mayweather would have been the easier choice, but Pacquiao still has the drive and ambition to become a champion in the twilight of his career.
