Former multi-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather has announced plans to come out of retirement and return to professional boxing following his upcoming exhibition bout with Mike Tyson this spring.
The 48-year-old retired from professional boxing in 2017 with a perfect record of 50 fights without defeat, although he has since featured in several exhibition contests.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a statement to AFP. “From my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards — no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event — then (sic) my events.”
A first professional bout is tentatively scheduled for this summer against an opponent yet to be announced, with further details expected “in the coming weeks,” according to the statement.
Nicknamed “Money,” Mayweather was once the world’s highest-paid athlete, earning $300 million in 2015, according to Forbes. At the height of his career, he was widely regarded as boxing’s pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for more than a decade.
Despite his achievements, Mayweather has long attracted controversy, facing criticism for his defensive fighting style and accusations from some quarters of avoiding the toughest opponents to preserve his unbeaten record. He also served a prison sentence related to a domestic violence case.
Nevertheless, his fitness, discipline, athleticism and tactical intelligence earned widespread respect within the sport.
Mayweather’s last professional fight came in 2017 against UFC star Conor McGregor. Since then, he has remained active in exhibition bouts, including a win over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024, alongside appearances against reality television personalities and YouTube fighters.
He has also signed an exclusive agreement with CSI Sports/Fight Sports to take effect after the Tyson event.
According to The Ring Magazine, the exhibition with Tyson is expected to take place on April 25 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, although neither the date nor venue has been officially confirmed.
Tyson, 59, last fought in November 2024, suffering a one-sided defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas. The Netflix-backed event drew a live crowd of about 70,000, with millions more watching worldwide.
AFP
