Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 pushed to 2027 amid legal trouble

Floyd Mayweather's much-hyped rematch with Manny Pacquiao will not take place in 2026 as originally announced, with the bout now tentatively scheduled for January 2027.

According to MMA Mania, the delay stems from a legal dispute involving promoter CSI, which claims Mayweather signed a contract requiring him to face Mike Tyson before any other opponent. CSI filed an injunction against Mayweather's planned June 27 exhibition against former kickboxing champion Mike Zambidis in Greece, serving everyone from the fighter to broadcaster DAZN. An emergency hearing Wednesday heard arguments on the injunction, with no ruling issued yet.

Mayweather schedule tangled in contract disputes

Boxing reporter Dan Rafael, who covered the hearing, tweeted that the Pacquiao fight originally set for September has been bumped. "Pacquiao fight is NOT happening in September," Rafael wrote, per the report. "The lawyers said the date for Tyson exhibition is September 12 if they work things out with Floyd. Pacquiao would be moved to January if it happens."

Mayweather faces mounting legal and financial issues beyond the CSI dispute. The former welterweight champion filed multiple lawsuits this year alleging business associates took him for hundreds of millions of dollars. He also faces felony charges in Nevada for allegedly writing $200,000 in bad checks.

The Zambidis fight fits a pattern of Mayweather exhibitions against little-known opponents — previous dance partners include John Gotti III, Aaron Chalmers, and Don Moore. This time, promoters behind the bigger-money bouts are not letting him sidestep those obligations. A ruling on whether Mayweather-Zambidis proceeds is expected Thursday at noon.

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• MMA Mania — Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao 2 no longer going down in 2026 ‘if it happens’