Manny Pacquiao is making waves not just in the boxing ring but also in the world of anime, as he prepares for a September reunion with Floyd Mayweather Jr. He's making an animated appearance in the Netflix series 'BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai'. This leap into pop culture highlights Manny's legendary status beyond boxing.
Pacquiao, now 47 years old, hasn't stepped away from competitive fists entirely. His return to the ring will place him against Mayweather on September 19, 2026, at Sphere in Las Vegas. The fight marks their first face-off since their "Fight of the Century" back in May 2015 which pulled in an incredible estimate of 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and generated around $600 million. Despite earning big bucks, fans left disappointed as the action didn't match the hype.
Speaking ahead of their rematch announcement, Manny emphasized that fans deserve another chance to see them square off.
“The fans have waited long enough, they deserve this rematch,” he noted, adding his hopes that Mayweather would “live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”
Mayweather maintains confidence despite this looming challenge and sticks to his guns about winning again.
"I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result," he told Netflix.
When it comes to pop culture, though, Pacquiao takes center stage by stepping into 'BAKI-DOU,' bringing characters like Miyamoto Musashi alive alongside modern-day warriors. His appearance creates a lot of chatter online among fans and underscores how his persona has crossed over into global culture—all while setting culture milestones for a boxer on platforms like Netflix.
With both fighters diving repeatedly out of retirement decisions over time—it'll be interesting how [Sphere](https://example.com) hosts its inaugural professional boxing event with Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fighting under klieg lights once more!
