Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao agree to fight

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will finally fight each other.

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
Feb 17, 2015

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, widely considered their generation's best pound-for-pound fighters, will finally fight each other on May 2 at MGM Grand, Mayweather announced Friday.

Terms of the deal have yet to be announced. Last week, The Telegraph reported a deal worth $250 million had been reached.

"Everyone involved, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, knows this fight simply had to happen," said Showtime executive vice president and general manager Stephen Espinoza. "All of us are thrilled to be able to deliver this event to boxing fans around the world."

Such reports, however, have circulated for years, frequently fueling excitement for a matchup but also frustration when a deal failed to materialize.

Floyd Mayweather's Greatest Hits

Olympic bronze

With the long-anticipated fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally agreed to, SI.com takes a look at Mayweather's career milestones. After going 84-6 as an amateur with a national Golden Gloves title, Floyd Mayweather won bronze at the Atlanta Olympics thanks to a controversial loss in the semifinals by decision to Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov.

Genaro Hernandez

Mayweather earned his first world championship with an eighth-round stoppage of Genaro Hernandez for the WBC junior lightweight title.

Diego Corrales

Neither Mayweather nor Corrales had suffered a knockdown as a professional entering their 130-pound title fight. But the precocious "Pretty Boy" sent "Chico" to the canvas no fewer than five times in an emphatic victory.

Jose Luis Castillo I & II

After moving up to 135 pounds, Mayweather captured and retained the WBC and Ring lightweight titles with two unanimous decisions over Castillo.

Arturo Gatti

Mayweather won a world title in a third different weight class -- this time at 140 pounds -- with an obliteration of Gatti in six rounds in Atlantic City, N.J.

Zab Judah

Mayweather survived a spirited challenge from Zab Judah -- along with some low-handed tactics in the 10th round -- on his way to another unanimous-decision victory and the world welterweight championship.

Oscar De La Hoya

Mayweather moved all the way up to 154 pounds for the long-anticipated superfight with De La Hoya. Billed by Sports Illustrated as "The Fight To Save Boxing," Mayweather won a semi-controversial split decision. Both fighters were winners, however, at the bank: The fight shattered the record for pay-per-view buys with 2.7 million purchases (or nearly $120 million in revenue).

<i>Dancing With The Stars</i>

Shortly after the De La Hoya fight, Mayweather joined the cast for the fifth season of ABC's hit show Dancing With The Stars . He and partner Karina Smirnoff were the fourth couple voted off the show, but the appearance helped Mayweather achieve crossover stardom.

Ricky Hatton

Mayweather defended his WBC welterweight title against Hatton, the lineal junior welterweight champion who moved up in weight for the fight. After retaining the championship with a 10th-round knockout, Mayweather went into semi-retirement for the next 21 months.

Juan Manuel Marquez

Mayweather showed little ring rust in a "comeback" fight against Marquez, the lightweight champion and the No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter according to most experts. The fight proved one-sided from start to finish, as Mayweather's preternatural defensive skills confounded Marquez, who connected on just 12 percent of his punches in a unanimous-decision loss.

Shane Mosley

Mayweather, nearly a 5-to-1 favorite against the veteran Mosley, was rocked with a pair of right hands early in the second round. But Sugar Shane wouldn't (or couldn't) finish the job as Mayweather coasted to a lopsided points victory.

Victor Ortiz

Mayweather drew boos at catcalls with his perhaps unsportsmanlike (but definitely legal) knockout of the 24-year-old Ortiz to win the WBC welterweight title. After Ortiz was warned for head-butting Mayweather, they touched gloves, and Ortiz looked for referee Joe Cortez to signal a restart (Cortez said he did, but Ortiz said he didn't hear it) while Mayweather pounced on his unsuspecting opponent with a left-right combination in the fourth round.

Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto lasted all 12 rounds and gave Floyd Mayweather a really good fight. In the end, though, Mayweather won a unanimous decision and was given the WBA and WBC. super welterweight belts. Handed the third loss of his career, Cotto could at least take solace from the fact that Mayweather said Cotto was the "toughest guy I ever fought."

Robert Guerrero

Floyd Mayweather defended his welterweight title with an easy victory over Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in May 2013.

Saul Alvarez

Mayweather walked away with a majority decision against Saul Alvarez as he unified the junior middleweight world titles.

Maidana I

Floyd Mayweather ran his record to 47-0 with a tougher-than-expected fight against Marcos Maidana. Two ringside judges scored it 116-111 for Mayweather, while the third had it 115-112.

Maidana II

The champ kept his welterweight and junior middleweight belts with a unanimous decision in his rematch with Maidana. The judges scored 116-111, 116-111 and 115-112.

Pacquiao told reporters on Tuesday that a deal was near after he agreed to undergo drug testing and suggested a $5 million fine if he tests positive for anything. Two days earlier, while at the NBA All-Star Game, Mayweather had denied reports that a fight had been set.

Talks between Mayweather and Pacquiao seemed to pick up steam in late January, when both attended the same Miami Heat game and were seen talking to each other. They reportedly met at a Miami hotel after the game to discuss a deal. Mayweather later posted a video to his Instagram account in early February in which he told Pacquiao that they "have to make this fight happen."

Mayweather, 37, holds a 47-0 record with 26 KOs after he beat Marco Maidana in September. Pacquiao, 36, is 57-5-2 with 38 KOs after he defeated Chris Algieri in November.

GALLERY: MANNY PACQUIAO's BIGGEST FIGHTS

Manny Pacquiao's Biggest Fights

Marco Antonio Barrera I — Nov. 15, 2003

With an 11th-round TKO of Barrera at the Alamodome, Pacquiao captured the lineal featherweight championship and cemented his stardom among American fight fans. It marked Pacquiao's third title in three weight classes.

Juan Manuel Marquez I — May 8, 2004

With designs on unifying The Ring featherweight title with Marquez's WBA and IBF belts, Pacquiao faced the Mexican legend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Marquez went down three times in Round 1, but showed unforgettable heart and resiliency in storming back to force a controversial draw.

Erik Morales I — March 19, 2005

Moving up to super featherweight (130 pounds) for a showdown with Mexico's legendary three-division champion — the first installment of an epic trilogy — Pacquiao suffered a cut from an accidental butt in the fifth round and lost a unanimous decision.

Erik Morales II — Jan. 21, 2006

The rematch between Pacquiao and Morales lived up to advance billing through nine grueling rounds. It ended in the 10th, when Pacquiao avenged the previous year's defeat with a knockout of Morales — the first of his career.

Erik Morales III — Nov. 18, 2006

Morales bravely tried to stand toe-to-toe with Pacquiao in the highly anticipated rubber match, but the strategy proved ill-advised. Pacquiao put an exclamation point on the trilogy with a third-round knockout of the Mexican warrior.

Marco Antonio Barrera II — Oct. 6, 2007

In the long-awaited rematch with Barrera at super featherweight, Pacquaio won a lopsided unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Juan Manuel Marquez II — March 15, 2008

Fighting for the WBC super featherweight title (130 pounds), Pacquiao outpointed Marquez in a narrow decision — a crucial third-round knockdown making the difference. The victory gave Pacquiao the world title in a fourth weight class.

David Diaz — June 28, 2008

Pacquiao became a five-division champion with a ninth-round knockout of Diaz for the WBC lightweight title (135 pounds). He'd vacate the super featherweight title in July while mulling another move up in weight.

Oscar De La Hoya — Dec. 6, 2008

Pacquiao's transition from boxing notable to crossover superstar was crystallized with a dramatic ninth-round TKO of De La Hoya in a non-title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. While De La Hoya was considered past his prime, many believed the climb to the welterweight limit (147 pounds) would prove too imposing for Pacquiao. They were wrong. The Filipino peppered the Golden Boy all night long with punches from all angles, until De La Hoya quit on his stool after the eighth round ... and quit boxing shortly thereafter.

Ricky Hatton — May 2, 2009

With a spectacular second-round knockout of Hatton in Las Vegas, Pacquiao bagged the lineal junior welterweight title (140 pounds) and became the second fighter in history to win titles in six divisions along with De La Hoya.

Miguel Cotto — Nov. 14, 2009

With his 12th-round knockout victory over Cotto for the WBO welterweight title — in a bout fought at a catch-weight of 145 pounds — Pacquiao became the first boxer to win titles in seven divisions.

Joshua Clottey — March 13, 2010

Pacquiao overwhelmed Clottey from wire to wire in his first defense of the WBO welterweight title before 50,994 fans at Cowboys Stadium. It marked the first boxing event at Jerry Jones' $1.3 billion palace. Only two fights in the United States during the past 50 years drew more fans: Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks II at the New Orleans Superdome in 1978 (63,350) and Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez at San Antonio's Alamodome in 1993 (59,995).

Antonio Margarito — Nov. 13, 2010

Pacquiao outpointed Margarito for the vacant WBC super welterweight championship before 41,734 fans at Cowboys Stadium. The victory gave the Filipino an eighth world title in eight different weight classes (from 112 to 154 pounds).

Shane Mosley — May 7, 2011

Pacquiao wasn't up to his near-perfect standard, but he still dominated the 39-year-old Mosley over 12 rounds for a unanimous-decision win. Trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao, who was involved in a fight-day fender bender, was beset by leg cramps during the fight. Mosley suffered just the third knockdown of his career in the third round and, by the end of an uninspiring fight, was being booed by the Vegas crowd.

Juan Manuel Marquez III — Nov. 12, 2011

Pacquiao showed great heart down to the stretch to rally for a majority-decision victory over the ageless Marquez, who entered as a 7-to-1 underdog despite narrow points losses to the Filipino in 2004 and '08. One ringside judge scored it 114-114, with the other two giving it to Pacquiao at 115-113 and 116-114. (SI.com had it 114-114.)

Timothy Bradley — June 9, 2012

In a controversial split decision ruling that even the WBO itself said should have gone the other way, Pacquiao was robbed of a win over Timothy Bradley. The judges at ringside scored it 115-113, 113-115, 113-115, which most media observers had Pacquiao winning by a large margin.

Juan Manuel Marquez IV — Dec. 8, 2012

In his fourth meeting with Juan Marquez, Pacquiao was knocked out in the sixth round, marking the first time in his career he'd lost consecutive bouts.

Brandon Rios — Nov. 24, 2013

Manny Pacquiao lands a right to Brandon Rios during their WBO international welterweight title fight Nov. 24, 2013, in Macau, China. Pacquiao defeated Rios by unanimous decision to end a two fight losing streak.

Timothy Bradley II — April 12, 2014

Pacquiao won a unanimous decision in the April 2014 rematch with Bradley, avenging his 2012 loss and claiming the WBO welterweight title. Pacquiao (56-5-2) pursued and peppered the previously unbeaten Bradley around the MGM Grand Garden ring with an aggressive effort occasionally recalling the Pacman in his prime. Bradley fought back with counterpunching and elusiveness, but Pacquiao kept up his attack while Bradley (31-1) struggled down the stretch. (Text: AP)

Chris Algieri — Nov. 23, 2014

Manny Pacquiao knocked Chris Algieri down six times and won a lopsided 12-round decision in his most recent fight to date, a November 2014 bout in Macau.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. — May 2, 2015

2015-0502-Floyd-Mayweather-Jr-Manny-Pacquiao-X159559_TK1_4794.jpg — Robert Beck for Sports Illustrated

The long-awaited mega fight, billed as "The Fight of the Century," failed to live up to the hype as Mayweather won easily via a unanimous decision, running his undefeated record to 48–0 and earning at least $100 million from the richest purse in boxing history.

- Mike Fiammetta