Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson were both among the best in the world during the prime of their boxing careers and the pair are now set to return to the ring in 2026
Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson will face off in the ring in 2026. An exact date for the bout has yet to be officially announced, but early reports indicate the legends will meet in the spring in an exhibition bout.
Mayweather and Tyson have both come out of retirement in recent years thanks to the promise of money-spinning bouts. Mayweather, 48, has taken on exhibition bouts against the likes of Logan Paul and John Gotti III since ending his professional career in 2017 with a 50-0 record.
Tyson, 59, took part in a professional bout for the first time in 19 years when he lost to Jake Paul in 2024. It was the former world heavyweight champion’s first bout of any kind in four years, with an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Junior taking place in 2020.
“This fight is something neither the world nor I ever thought would or could happen,” Tyson said, per TMZ. “However, boxing has entered a new era of the unpredictable — and this fight is as unpredictable as it gets.
“I still can’t believe Floyd wants to really do this. It’s going to be detrimental to his health, but he wants to do it, so it’s signed and it’s happening!”
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The specifics of the fight are yet to be ironed out, with Mayweather having spent his professional career at lower weight classes than Tyson, though TMZ reports that the exhibition bout will be put on by CSI Sports/Fight Sports. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years and there hasn’t been a single fighter that can tarnish my legacy,” Mayweather said.
“You already know that if I am going to do something, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be legendary. I’m the best in the business of boxing. This exhibition will give the fans what they want.”
Mayweather has come out of retirement on a number of occasions, each time winning on his return to the ring. His final professional outing came in 2017, when he beat former UFC champion Conor McGregor by TKO in Nevada.
Back in 2015, Tyson called out Mayweather over claims from ‘Money’ that he was better than boxing legend Muhammad Ali. “He’s very delusional, he can’t listen. If he was anywhere near that realm of great Ali he’d be able to take his kids to school by himself,” ‘Iron Mike’ said.
“He can’t take his kids to school by himself and he’s talking about he’s great? Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people, greatness is being accepted by the people. He can’t take his kids alone to school by himself. He’s a little scared man… a very small scared man.”