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| Manny Pacquiao insisted that his rematch against Floyd Mayweather is not a mere exhibition. Peter Baltazar (file photo) |
MANILA—Manny Pacquiao reiterated on Thursday that his upcoming rematch against Floyd Mayweather is an official professional bout.
The former eight-division world champion spoke out after his undefeated foe downplayed their second showdown as merely an exhibition, even calling his opponent's statement a misinformation.
"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. 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," Pacquiao said in a statement sent to various media outlets.
Mayweather, in an interview with Vegas Sports Today on Sunday, cast some uncertainty on his battle against Pacquiao when he denied that both their Hall of Fame-worthy records are on the line in the Sept. 20 (Philippine Time) event.
“This is not actually a fight. It’s an exhibition, so we’re both winners. We just want to go out there and entertain the people and put on a good show,” Mayweather said, adding that there are also some concerns about the availability of The Sphere in Las Vegas for the bout.
However, Pacquiao insisted that both boxing superstars agreed in terms for a professional bout, adding that Netflix, which will stream the much-anticipated rematch live, is aware on the agreement.
"We are proud to partner with Netflix, a global platform that recognizes the magnitude of this event. Their announcement reflected the exact terms of our agreement. My team and I remain fully committed to the conditions of that contract, and we are preparing for a professional-grade battle," Pacquiao further said.
He added that he has begun training for the showdown, which if indeed be played under professional rules would likely be a welterweight clash.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather reached the peak of their careers when they moved up to 147 pounds, and their first showdown in 2015 was also played at the said weight level.
"I am working hard now and started my gym training and I look forward to stepping back into the ring to prove that the fire is still there. Nothing has changed on our end and we expect the original terms of the agreement to be honored," Pacquiao concluded.
This means for the next five months, Pacquiao, also the founder will have less public appearances than expected to focus more on the bout, although the possibility of him showing up either in Caloocan or Binan for the simultaneous MPBL opening rites on April 10 is not that low.
