Floyd Mayweather Jr. has already taken an advance on his purse for the long-anticipated rematch with Manny Pacquiao, according to the Pacquiao camp, even as questions swirl over whether the Sept. 19 bout will be a professional fight or an exhibition via ESPN.
Pacquiao CEO Jas Mathur said Mayweather signed three separate agreements related to his return to professional boxing — on Oct. 24, Nov. 6 and Dec. 14 — and received money advances upon signing each one. Mathur added that Mayweather “has also taken out an advance on his purse for his fight against Pacquiao.”
The comments came as Pacquiao’s team insisted the Netflix-streamed event at The Sphere in Las Vegas remains a full professional bout, not the exhibition Mayweather described in recent public remarks. Mathur called those comments a breach of contract.
What an advance on a boxing purse actually means, in financial terms
In boxing, a fighter’s “purse” is the total compensation spelled out in the contract. It usually includes a guaranteed minimum plus a share of revenue from pay-per-view buys, live gate, sponsorships, streaming rights and merchandise. For the original 2015 Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, Mayweather’s purse topped $220 million after all revenue was counted.
An “advance on the purse” is exactly what it sounds like: a prepayment of part of that future compensation, delivered to the fighter well before fight night.
- Cash now, not later. The fighter gets immediate liquidity — money he can spend on training camp, taxes, personal expenses or investments — instead of waiting until after the bout when final revenue numbers are tallied and checks are cut.
- Deducted later. The advance amount is subtracted from the fighter’s final purse payout. If the total purse ends up smaller than expected, the fighter could receive little or nothing on fight night; if it exceeds projections, he still gets the upside.
- Contractual commitment tool. Promoters and financiers often structure advances as signing bonuses or bridge loans to lock in a fighter and show good faith. They may carry fees or interest, though those details are rarely public.
- Risk for both sides. The advance is typically non-refundable if the fight is canceled for reasons outside the fighter’s control, but it can become a point of dispute (or leverage) if one side tries to alter terms, as appears to be happening here.
In short, Mayweather has already pocketed a slice of his expected payday months ahead of the opening bell. The move is common in big-money bouts to help fighters manage cash flow, but it also underscores the binding nature of the contracts Mathur referenced: Mayweather has skin in the game — literally cash in hand — tied to the professional fight as originally signed.
No purse figures have been released for the 2026 rematch, though early speculation suggests it could rival or exceed the record-setting 2015 event given the Netflix platform and The Sphere’s immersive production.
Pacquiao’s camp has given Mayweather a “cure period” to reaffirm the fight as a professional contest. Until then, the advance stands as one more piece of paper — and one more payment — tying “Money” Mayweather to the matchup.
