Will Mayweather, Pacquiao and Davis fight in 2025? Experts weigh in

Three of boxing's most bankable names face uncertain futures as 2025 unfolds, with speculation mounting about whether Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and Gervonta Davis will actually compete this year.

ESPN's Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson recently broke down the likelihood of each star making an active return, weighing promotional roadblocks, age concerns, and contractual disputes that could keep any or all of them sidelined.

Mayweather and Pacquiao exhibition prospects

Mayweather remains retired from professional boxing but continues staging lucrative exhibition matches, most recently in Japan and Dubai. His appetite for sanctioned competition appears nonexistent. Pacquiao, now 46, last fought professionally in 2021 and has teased multiple comebacks without finalizing terms. Both legends generate headlines with ease but struggle to convert talk into signed bouts.

Davis presents a different puzzle. The former lightweight champion has been out of the ring since his knockout win over Frank Martin last June and faces ongoing promotional friction with Mayweather Promotions. Per the ESPN analysis, his return hinges on resolving those business tensions and securing an opponent who moves the needle commercially.

Hale and Parkinson's verdict leans skeptical across the board. Exhibition talk tends to fizzle, and Davis's stalled 2024 momentum makes a 2025 fight anything but guaranteed. The boxing calendar rarely waits for anyone, but these three have spent careers proving they operate on their own timelines.

Reported via:

• ESPN Boxing — Boxing real or not: Will Mayweather, Pacquiao and 'Tank' Davis all fight this year?