Asked about Mayweather’s recent comments suggesting the Sept. 19 bout could be treated as an exhibition, Pacquiao pointed back to the deal already in place and dismissed the idea outright.
“No exhibition,” Pacquiao told Fighthype. “It’s either a real fight or nothing. It’s a real fight.”
Pacquiao said the terms were already set when both sides signed, leaving no room to adjust the structure of the event at this stage. The fight was scheduled for Las Vegas and was built around a sanctioned contest rather than a non-competitive exhibition format.
“The contract we signed is a real fight,” Pacquiao said. “So that’s for sure.”
He added that he expects the rematch to go ahead under those original terms, despite the uncertainty created by Mayweather’s recent comments. Pacquiao offered no alternative options if the situation changed, keeping his focus on the deal already in place.
“I don’t know,” Pacquiao said when asked about possible backup plans. “What I signed is a real fight.”
Pacquiao has long pursued a second fight with Mayweather following their 2015 meeting, and has indicated his approach will be different this time around.
“I have an improved and better strategy compared to the previous one,” he said.
This looks like a classic case of a fighter looking to protect his perfect 50-0 record. Floyd is almost 50 years old, and despite his legendary defensive skills, a professional fight carries the risk of ending up with a “1” on his resume, especially against someone as ruthless as Pacquiao.
By calling it an exhibition now, Floyd is essentially creating a safety net where he can get paid without the input. Manny’s team (MP Promotions) are adamant that the contract signed in February is for a sanctioned professional bout.
Just a few days ago (March 28th), Floyd publicly hit back during a meeting, claiming that it was an exhibition and that the venue (The Sphere) wasn’t even 100% locked.
Netflix has already marketed it as a professional event. If it switches to an exhibition, they lose a lot of the “historical significance” they use to sell the stream.
