Saturday, April 25th will be a day of boxing blockbusters on ESPN when the network airs four consecutive hours of the sweet science immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. Starting at 7 p.m. ET, this special presentation will showcase Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, culminating with the 2015 fight between the two of them. The other encore matches featured include Mayweather vs. Zab Judah (2006), Pacquiao's second fight vs. Juan Manual Márquez (2008) and Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (2009). The special presentation will include an interview from ESPN’s Joe Tessitore with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. During the interview, Arum lays out the hurdles that boxing must overcome to return, how the travel restrictions will impact the sport and a third bout between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. The interview will air approximately at 9 p.m. ET.
The lineup:
Mayweather vs Judah (7 p.m.): This 2006 match marked the first time Mayweather would challenge for a welterweight world title. He had previously won titles at super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight. Near the end of the 10th round, a brawl between the corners broke out after Judah hit Mayweather with a low blow, followed by a rabbit punch.
Pacquiao vs. Márquez 2 (8 p.m.): Pacquiao’s second fight against Márquez marked the first time the Filipino fighter would challenge for a world title at super featherweight. He was attempting to become the first Asian fighter to win world titles in four different weight classes.
Pacquiao vs. Cotto (9 p.m.): In his fight against Cotto, Pacquiao attempted to become the first fighter in boxing history to win a world title in seven different weight classes, while Cotto entered the bout making the second defense of his WBO welterweight title.
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (10 p.m.): The event set records for the largest grossing live gate ($72 million) and the most pay-per-view buys (4.6 million) in combat sports history. The fight served as a unification bout, with Mayweather defending the WBA and WBC welterweight titles and Pacquiao defending the WBO title.
