Netflix Eyes Pacquiao-Stevenson for Fury-Joshua Co-Main

BoxingScene reports that Netflix wants Manny Pacquiao and Shakur Stevenson to form part of a proposed double main event with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

The outlet cited two people connected to the discussions who said Netflix “wants” both fights to anchor the event, currently being targeted for December 11, with December 18 also under consideration. Neither Pacquiao nor Stevenson has received a bout agreement.

Pacquiao adviser and MP Promotions CEO Jas Mathur said the Filipino’s financial package remains under negotiation, with representatives of TKO Group Holdings in contact with his team.

Stevenson is signed to Zuffa Boxing, a joint venture between Saudi entertainment company Sela and TKO. Sela holds a 60 per cent stake, with TKO owning the remaining 40 per cent. Turki Alalshikh is part of Zuffa’s leadership, while WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan, another senior figure in the venture, previously served on Pacquiao’s management team.

The proposed fight would bring together two boxers at opposite ends of their careers. Pacquiao, 62-8-3 (39 KOs), is 47 and would turn 48 on December 17, one day before the later date being considered for the Cardiff card. Stevenson, 25-0 (11 KOs), is 29 and unbeaten.

Stevenson produced a near-shutout unanimous-decision victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on January 31, then signed a multi-fight agreement with Zuffa in July. The 2016 Olympic silver medallist holds the WBO and Ring super-lightweight titles and has won world championships in four divisions.

A full welterweight contest would require another move up for Stevenson. His only appearance above lightweight came against Lopez, when he weighed 138.6lbs for his debut at the 140lbs limit, and he has since said he does not consider himself a natural welterweight.

Stevenson has previously discussed catchweights and rehydration restrictions when considering larger welterweight opponents because of the size he would concede. Pacquiao, by contrast, spent much of the latter part of his career at 147lbs, although he would enter any fight with Stevenson more than two decades older than the American.

Pacquiao’s Mayweather rematch falls apart

Pacquiao became available after the collapse of his proposed rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Talks accelerated during the second half of 2025, after Pacquiao returned from retirement and drew with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios that July.

The rematch was formally announced in February 2026 as a professional contest at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19, with Netflix due to broadcast globally. Mayweather subsequently complicated those plans by publicly describing the bout as an exhibition and saying the venue had not been finalised.

Pacquiao’s team maintained that contracts had been signed for a professional fight. The sides later reached an amended agreement for a September 25 professional contest at T-Mobile Arena, but the event was postponed indefinitely in June amid legal disputes, scheduling conflicts and financial issues surrounding Mayweather.

The earliest the rematch was expected to be revived was 2027. Mayweather also has an unresolved exhibition agreement involving former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Pacquiao’s majority draw with Barrios was his first professional contest since a unanimous-decision defeat by Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, when he challenged for the WBA welterweight title. He retired shortly afterwards but remained active in exhibitions, facing South Korean martial artist DK Yoo in December 2022 and former kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo in Japan in July 2024.

His return against Barrios, undertaken at the age of 46, showed that his comeback was intended to extend beyond a single appearance. Stevenson would offer a markedly different assignment from Mayweather, as a current champion in his prime rather than a fellow veteran returning for a rematch.

Stevenson has also struggled to secure his next fight. After joining Zuffa, he identified Devin Haney as his preferred opponent and initially targeted an October return, but no agreement was reached.

Gervonta Davis, Gary Antuanne Russell, Raymond Muratalla and O’Shaquie Foster have also been linked with Stevenson. He publicly dismissed fellow Zuffa fighter Jose Valenzuela as an insufficiently attractive option, making it clear he wants a prominent opponent rather than a routine title defence for his first appearance under the Zuffa banner.

Cardiff under consideration for December

Joshua-Fury had also been considered for Madison Square Garden, but efforts by Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to stage the long-discussed heavyweight fight in Britain shifted the talks towards Cardiff. Principality Stadium’s retractable roof makes it a practical option for a December event.

Netflix’s interest in Pacquiao-Stevenson has continued despite the proposed switch from the United States to Wales, according to BoxingScene. Stevenson has also recently been filmed training alongside Mayweather at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas while Pacquiao’s planned rematch with his former rival remains unresolved.

Negotiators for Joshua, 30-4 (27 KOs), and Fury, 36-2-1 (25 KOs), have indicated that an announcement could come soon. The heavyweight fight and its date have yet to be formally confirmed, while TKO and Pacquiao’s representatives continue negotiating the terms required to add Pacquiao-Stevenson to the Cardiff card.