Floyd Mayweather Jr. has announced that he will come out of retirement and return to professional boxing after his yet-to-be-scheduled spring exhibition match against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
In 2017, the 48-year-old former boxing champion retired from professional prize fighting undefeated at 50-0.
Mayweather’s first official bout against a to-be-named opponent is set for this summer as part of an exclusive agreement with CSI Sports/Fight Sports, according to a release sent out Friday afternoon. The same group is also promoting his exhibition match against the 59-year-old Tyson.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing — 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. And I plan to keep doing it with my global media partner, CSI Sports/Fight Sports,” Mayweather said in a statement included in the release.
A 15-time world champion across five weight classes, Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) is regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the sport’s history. His last professional fight came in March 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor via a technical knockout.
Mayweather has fought in eight exhibition matches since, the last one coming against John Gotti III — the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti — in Mexico City in August 2024. He also faced social media influencer Logan Paul in 2021.
This latest news comes just a few weeks after Mayweather filed a lawsuit against Showtime Networks and the former president of Showtime Sports, accusing the company of helping facilitate a fraud scheme that deprived him of roughly $340 million in earnings.
The exhibition match vs. Tyson was announced in early September, although a date and venue have yet to be revealed months later. The release announcing Mayweather’s return to the pro ranks referenced a “Spring 2026” exhibition vs. Tyson.
The Athletic