Global streaming giant Netflix continues to bolster its live sports offering, with its latest announcement confirming a major bout between boxing icons Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, which it will stream globally.
The fight, a rematch of the pair’s showpiece 2015 bout (a decision win for Mayweather), will be the first boxing fight to be held at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas, US, and will take place on September 19.
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That bout, while a disappointing in-ring spectacle, was billed the ‘Fight of the Century’ before it took place, and indeed ended up as the most lucrative boxing bout in the sport’s history, generating a world-record live gate of $72 million, and drawing a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys.
It will be organized and produced by EverWonder Studio, Hidden Empire, and Limitless X Holdings, with each fighter’s promotional company, Manny Pacquiao Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, co-promoting the event alongside CSI Sports/Fight Sports, with Netflix airing the bout globally at no extra charge on all subscription tiers.
On the fight, Manny Pacquiao Promotions chief executive Jas Arthur said: “Their first fight generated over $600 million in global revenue and became the highest-grossing pay-per-view in boxing history. This rematch will once again command a worldwide audience, becoming (without a doubt) the most-watched boxing event in Netflix Sports history.”
A potential sticking point in selling the fight could be both fighters’ ages. Mayweather, now 49 years old, officially retired in 2017 and has fought only twice since the original Pacquiao bout, before coming out of retirement earlier this year to sign a new multi-fight agreement with CSI Sports, coming into effect after a planned upcoming exhibition bout against 59-year-old icon Mike Tyson.
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By GlobalDataPacquiao, now 47, has fought eight times since his loss to Mayweather, most recently in a split draw against Mario Barrios in July 2025 for the WBC Welterweight title, and in the time since has also dabbled in politics (a senator of the Philippines between 2016 and 2022), professional basketball (in the Philippine Basketball Association), and in October 2025 was appointed vice president of the International Boxing Association amateur body.
Indeed, the streamer was most recently the global broadcaster for the December bout between boxer Anthony Joshua and influencer-cum-boxer Jake Paul, which drew a global audience of more than 30 million on the service.
The bout, which took place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, scored an estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 33 million live viewers globally from opening to closing bell as Joshua delivered a sixth-round knockout of Paul (who co-founded MVP as his promotional vehicle).
Prior to that, Netflix also showcased Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in November 2024, which was watched by over 60 million households worldwide.
That event also included an all-female co-main event between Ireland’s Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano, which was watched by almost 50 million households in its own right.
Netflix called that fight a narrow and controversial points victory for the legendary Taylor, “likely to be the most-watched professional women's sporting event in US history.”
It is increasingly clear that Netflix sees high-profile combat sports events as a path into the sports market.
Most recently, it announced its entry into mixed martial arts (MMA) through a new agreement with the Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) brand, through which it will broadcast the upcoming Rousey vs Carano bout on May 16.
