Mayweather-Pacquiao Rematch Set For Las Vegas Sphere; New Book Reveals Fallout From First Fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are set to fight again in Las Vegas, this time on Sept. 19 at the Sphere just east of the Strip near the Venetian hotel-casino.

The bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, will be streamed live globally on Netflix.

Early odds indicate Mayweather is the favorite at -225.

Pacquiao, 47, and Mayweather, 49, fought more than a decade ago in a highly anticipated “Fight of the Century” at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip. Employing a defensive strategy, Mayweather won that May 2, 2015, bout in a unanimous decision. Pacquiao later indicated he had a prior shoulder injury that hampered his performance. (The two are pictured above in a 2015 photo publicizing the first fight.) 

Since then, both fighters later retired but came out of retirement and faced other opponents.

Mayweather is undefeated with a 50-0 record and 27 knockouts. Pacquiao’s record is 62-8-3 with 39 knockout wins.

In a statement, Mayweather noted he has already beaten Pacquiao once, according to ESPN.

"This time will be the same result," Mayweather said.

Pacquiao said he and Mayweather “gave the world what remains the biggest fight in boxing history.”

“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” he said in a statement. “As always, I dedicate this fight to my fellow Filipinos around the world and to bringing glory to the Philippines.”

Fallout From First Fight

In his recently released book, “The Bookie: Inside the High-Stakes World of Sports Betting—A Legendary Bookmaker's Tale of Gangsters, Celebrities,” veteran Las Vegas sportsbook manager Art Manteris indicated that fight promoter Bob Arum should have revealed ahead of time that Pacquiao was injured before stepping into the ring for the first fight.

“Immediately afterward, word got out from Bob Arum that Pacquiao had indeed been hurt before the fight,” the now-retired Manteris wrote. “He blamed the Nevada Athletic Commission for not allowing his fighter to get a steroid shot. That was all bulls**t.”

Manteris wrote that Arum, now 94, “knew what was up long before Pacquiao stepped into the ring.”

“Arum did a huge disservice to the Las Vegas casino industry, his fighter, and all the fans across the globe who came to town or bought the pay-per-view with no knowledge that one of the participants needed shoulder surgery.”