Floyd Mayweather Next Fight: He is once again asking for your ‘Money’

Floyd Mayweather retired from professional boxing in 2017, when he racked up his 50th career victory against controversial UFC fighter Conor McGregor. But retirement has not kept ‘Money’ out of the ring. The five-weight world champion has had eight exhibition fights since he quit the competitive sport, keeping his hand in and topping up his bank balance.

Now Mayweather is set to embark on his most shocking exhibition contest yet. Read on for everything we know about Floyd Mayweather’s next fight.

Mayweather can claim to be the godfather of the current boxing landscape in many ways. The fierce protection of a fighter’s ‘0’ feels like more of a concern than ever, with today’s peaking boxers having grown up watching Floyd preserve his way to 50-0. 

There is also the crossover boxing phenomenon. Pugilism became the shiny new toy of the YouTube set a year after Mayweather’s mainstream smash with ‘Notorious’. The fight showed the likes of Joe Weller, KSI and the Paul brothers that a good story could sell more seats than a compelling technical match-up. Jake Paul and KSI have taken that ball and ran with it. 

But Mayweather is not a businessman, he’s a business, man. ‘Money’ was never going to get left behind by a phenomenon he created. The man they once called ‘Pretty Boy’ has been a regular face on the crossover boxing circuit, taking on everyone from transplanted kickboxers to current WWE superstars to sons of organised crime figures. Floyd’s exhibition career reads like the route to the final boss on Street Fighter II.

Funnily enough, his next opponent was the inspiration for one of the characters in that very game. Mayweather is set to take on Mike Tyson, who inspired the vein-poppingly muscled Balrog in the popular fighting game series. The Japanese original called him Mike Bison but Capcom’s North American swapped the name with another character to avoid legal attention.

Two paragraphs might be a lot of time to spend talking about video games on a sports website But the real boxing world is becoming even more curious than the fictional arcade battles of old. 

Mayweather is a former super featherweight who peaked at super welterweight, still scaling three pounds under the 151-pound limit while winning world titles there. Tyson is, of course, a career heavyweight. 

Age comes to us all and there is some extra poundage on Floyd these days. He still looks every inch the athlete, but he was bang on the middleweight limit of 160lbs for his most recent exhibition fight. That was his ‘rematch’, if you can call an unofficial fight a match in the first place, with John Gotti III. It was officially Mayweather-Gotti III II if you want to get technical. If they’d had a third fight, Julius Caesar would have hopped in the ring and asked for his numerals back.

The world of exhibition fighting ranges from heartwarming (Tyson- Jones Jr., Hatton-Barrera) to harmful (Holyfield-Belfort) to downright incredulous (the upcoming Paul-Davis idiocy). The Tyson-Mayweather fight fits the latter bill.

Credit where it is due, they were both boxers at one time. Nowadays, a pay-per-view prize fight does not even have to meet that lowly measurement. Better an ex-undisputed heavyweight champion or a former pound-for-pound king than a YouTuber or TikToker. 

That is about as much positivity as the boxing-minded can muster for this mismatch of the titans. At best, about 50-odd pounds will separate them in weight. Decades have parted each from their prime. Tyson looked good for his age against the similarly past-it Roy Jones Jr. back in 2020, but the stomach ulcer that postponed the Paul fight really should have cancelled it. The illness had come close to threatening Tyson’s life and it showed in the ring, alongside a knee ailment that sapped the explosive ‘Iron’ Mike further.

Mayweather still has the old tricks, turns and twists. Of all the exhibitionists, he might be the most fun to watch. The opponents are nonsense for the most part. Stray Paul brothers and ex-Geordie Shore participants. But seeing that shell defence, the shoulder-roll and the ripped-in counters is still a fun exercise. But is there really any point seeing him flinging them at a man who is twice his size and a 1/10th as mobile?

The answer, as with 99% of exhibition bouts, is no. But at least some, like Tyson’s go-round with Jones, can answer some historical questions. Ditto Hatton-Barrera, which has taken on a new poignance since the devastating passing of Manchester’s ‘Hitman’. Those exhibitions brought together fighters who were once touted as possible opponents. A glimpse at an alternative past for their respective careers. 

But no self-respecting boxing fan has ever dedicated one single second of speculation to whether Floyd Mayweather could have beaten Mike Tyson. Or to whether the ‘Iron’ punches that retired Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno could have done the same to ‘Money’.

If these men had to come back, there was more palatable options. Tyson vs Holyfield III would make money even if they were 90 instead of 60. Lennox Lewis is another old rival who would keep the tills ringing. Meanwhile, a long-rumoured Mayweather rematch with Manny Pacquiao would entice fans, especially given the Filipino’s WBC welterweight title draw in his comeback opposite Mario Barrios. If Mayweather prefers fresh meat, Amir Khan was always touted as the one fighter of Floyd’s weight and era who might have been quicker.

There is simply no excuse for a size difference this big. Conversely, there is little excuse for Tyson being called into action in his physical condition. Well, apart from the only excuse that gets anything done in this glorious but fetid sport. The clue is in the name of one of these combatants. This encounter is all about the money.

Details are scant at this early stage. With the pair only confirming that Mike Tyson Promotions and Floyd Mayweather Promotions would co-stage the event, it would take place in 2026 and be broadcast “worldwide”. This article will be updated with further details as we get them.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.