By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — The much awaited iconic rematch between legends Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. and Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao plans an undercard that features ‘next talents’ and this will include the Pac-Man’s son, Emmanuel ‘Jimuel’ Pacquiao Jr.
Pacquiao’s son will be fighting alongside another rising talent, Mayweather own protégé, Curmel Moton, who for the first time in nearly nine months will return to the squared arena after his unanimous decision victory over Renny Viamonte Mastrapa in May last year.
Mayweather and Pacquiao originally fought in 2015 in what has been dubbed as the ‘Battle for Greatness’ and the 21st century’s biggest ever boxing event which generated unprecedented revenue and public interest. Now 11 years on, the pair will do battle once again despite being way beyond the peak of their physical powers.
Boxing promoters and aficionados expect the grudge match to again be one of the year’s biggest events ever that will be livestreamed on Netflix on September 19 from The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Highly accomplished Canadian entrepreneur Jaspreet ‘Jas’ Mathur, a vital cog in putting the event together, expects the best of boxing’s next generation of talent to be stepping under the bright lights of the bout’s massive 18,600-capacity venue.
In an interview, the 20-year-old Moton, who won a sensational brutal knockout win in less than one minute on his debut, told World Boxing News: “The plan for the undercard is to make it meaningful and forward-looking.”
Mathur couldn’t agree more: ““On September 19, with a global platform of this scale, we intend to build the next generation of stars while honoring the legends who paved the way.
This isn’t just about one historic main event, it’s about showcasing the future of boxing. We want generational storytelling on the card, blending established names, emerging contenders, and rising young stars who represent the next era of the sport.
“We have fighters like Manny Pacquiao Jr. (Jimuel) from Manny Pacquiao Promotions and Curmel Moton from Mayweather Promotions who embody that legacy-meets-future dynamic.”
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