The undefeated legend announces his return to professional boxing just days before turning 49 and he’s already eyeing bigger records
Retirement, it turns out, has an expiration date at least when your name is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Just days shy of his 49th birthday, Mayweather has officially announced he is ending his retirement and returning to professional boxing. The news comes with a clear roadmap: first, a spring 2026 exhibition bout against Mike Tyson, and then a return to sanctioned professional competition with a new promotional deal already in place. Mayweather has signed an exclusive agreement with CSI Sports/Fight Sports as his promotional partner for this next chapter, signaling that this isn’t a casual flirtation with a comeback it’s a fully structured return.
The legend who never really left
To understand where Mayweather is headed, it helps to remember where he’s been. He retired in August 2017 at the age of 40 after stopping MMA crossover star Conor McGregor in the 10th round, finishing his professional career at a perfect 50-0 with 27 wins by stoppage. It remains one of the most pristine records in boxing history, and at the time, the farewell felt genuine.
What followed, however, was a string of high-profile exhibition bouts that kept Mayweather in the public eye and reminded anyone watching that the reflexes and defensive brilliance hadn’t entirely faded. He squared off against YouTube personality Logan Paul, Japanese kickboxer Mikuru Asakura, and John Gotti III in exhibition settings none of which counted on his professional record, but all of which kept the Mayweather brand operating at full volume.
The Tyson exhibition comes first
Before any professional return materializes, Mayweather and Tyson are scheduled to meet in an exhibition match sometime in spring 2026. Reports have suggested April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the likely date and location, though those details remain unconfirmed. No broadcast network has been officially announced for the fight either. What is confirmed is that the bout was announced last September and has been building anticipation ever since two of boxing’s most iconic names sharing a ring, even in an exhibition format, generates a level of global interest that few sporting events can match.
Mayweather has been clear that the Tyson event is the launchpad, not the destination. His return to professional boxing comes after and CSI Sports/Fight Sports is already positioned as the promotional home for whatever follows.
The Pacquiao rematch looming in the background
Perhaps the most intriguing subplot to Mayweather’s return is what it could mean for one of boxing’s most unfinished pieces of business. Manny Pacquiao recently returned to professional boxing himself, reopening the possibility of a rematch between the two fighters after their much-debated 2015 encounter. That fight, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, was one of the most commercially successful bouts in history and a rematch between two legends in their late 40s, while unconventional by any sporting standard, would generate enormous global interest.
Nothing has been formally announced, but Pacquiao’s return to the professional ranks makes the conversation considerably more than hypothetical.
What this return actually means
Mayweather stepping back into professional competition at 49 raises legitimate questions about competition level, opponent selection, and what a meaningful fight even looks like at this stage. The men currently competing at the top of the sport are roughly half his age, shaped by a completely different era of training and preparation. The landscape he’d be returning to is not the one he dominated for two decades.
But Mayweather has never operated within conventional expectations, and his promotional track record speaks for itself. He consistently delivers some of the largest gates and broadest global broadcast audiences in the sport a reality that makes his return commercially significant regardless of where it lands critically. CSI Sports/Fight Sports’ co-founders made clear their belief that Mayweather will continue producing the highest-grossing events in boxing, and given his history, that confidence isn’t baseless.
The Showtime lawsuit currently unfolding adds another layer to the story. Mayweather filed a multimillion-dollar suit against the network earlier this month, claiming he is owed at least $340 million from his reported $1.2 billion in career fight purses. It’s a legal battle that underscores just how much money has flowed through Mayweather’s career and perhaps hints at the financial motivations behind a return.
At 49, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is betting on himself. Again. Few people have ever lost money making that same wager.
