Floyd Mayweather Jr. is returning to professional boxing, and he’s not talking about some senior-circuit exhibition against a 59-year-old Mike Tyson.
‘I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,’ Mayweather told ESPN in a statement.
The undefeated 48-year-old still plans to face the aging Tyson in an exhibition this spring, but now Mayweather will also make a legitimate comeback against active opponents.
‘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 recently signed an exclusive deal with CSI Sports/Fight Sports as his promoter.
He famously retired from boxing at 50-0 after an easy knockout win over the UFC‘s Conor McGregor in 2017.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is returning to professional boxing at the age of 49
Mayweather famously retired from boxing at 50-0 after an easy knockout win over McGregor
Since then, he’s beaten the likes of Logan Paul, Mikuru Asakura and John Gotti III in heavily criticized exhibitions, which many felt failed to match the competitiveness of his boxing career.
There remains a chance he and Tyson will have their exhibition on April 25 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Muhammad Ali famously beat George Foreman in 1974, but that has not yet been confirmed.
In recent weeks, Mayweather has sued Showtime, claiming he is still owed ‘at least’ $340 million for a reported $1.2 billion in fight purses.
Soon to be 49, it’s unclear if Mayweather would return to 154 pounds, the weight limit for his win over McGregor, or perhaps move up to middleweight.
‘Signing Floyd Mayweather to un-retire after he captures another world-wide audience with his Mike Tyson match-up, highlights our commitment to providing our global audience with the most high-profile fighters in the sport,’ Richard and Craig Miele, co-founders of CSI Sports/Fight Sports, told ESPN.
‘Floyd will once again continue to dominate boxing with the biggest audience and highest gross events of all time, and we are proud and privileged to be able to do with our global team at CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS. We look forward to even more announcements that will excite fans and continue to build the sport in 2026!’