It could be argued that "Iron" Mike Tyson and Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Jr., are two of the greats of boxing. Due to the different era's that they fought in, a possibility of them facing each other was thought to be impossibe. However, in the past few days, that match will now become a reality in 2026. Despite the excitement, not everyone is enthralled with this announcement.
Boxing production company, CSI Sports, announced the bout between Tyson, who will turn 60 next year and Mayweather, who is 48. Neither a venue nor any details of a date were given; beyond saying it would take place in the spring.
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson, who lost on points to Jake Paul in an eight-round bout in November 2024, said: "This fight is something neither the world nor I ever thought would or could happen."
"Boxing has entered a new era of the unpredictable - and this fight is as unpredictable as it gets. I still can't believe Floyd wants to really do this. It's going to be detrimental to his health, but he wants to do it, so it's signed and it's happening."
Mayweather won world titles across five different weights, going unbeaten during his 50-fight career which ended with a victory over MMA star, Conor McGregor, in 2017. He said: "I've been doing this for 30 years and there hasn't been a single fighter that can tarnish my legacy."
"You already know that if I am going to do something, it's going to be big and it's going to be legendary. I'm the best in the business of boxing. This exhibition will give the fans what they want. This exhibition will give the fans what they want."
Excitement is not high for the recently announced Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather spectacle, which is expected to go down sometime next spring in an exhibition match up. It will surely be watched anyway by millions of casual viewers (much like Tyson vs. Jake Paul).
It’s a strange moment when boxing fans are not only unexcited by a collision of two of the best boxers of all time but they’re actively dismayed by the booking. Tyson looked downright immobile at times opposite, "The Problem Child" and now he’s going to fight one of the hardest men to hit in the business? Mayweather may be retired too but he’s 11 years his foe’s junior and has still looked pretty sharp in his recent forays into exhibition boxing.
However, it appears "Money" hasn’t read the room, with boxing fans slamming the move. While nobody saw this fight announcement coming, everyone has seemingly had the same reaction.
"Absolutely no one asked to see this "fight." When is enough enough?" journalist, Mike Coppinger, wrote on X.
"This is the dumbest thing I’ve read this year," a second commented.
"This is ridiculously stupid. Neither of them should still be fighting at their age," another added.
While a third wrote: "This is disgusting. Nasty work on both their parts. Very disappointing to my GOATS agree to this nonsense."
If the fight does take place in the Spring of 2026, the pair will be a combined age of 108 years when they face off.
There’s also the fact that scheduled Tyson bouts have been delayed previously by severe health issues, so who knows if that spring 2026 schedule will remain in tact. There are a lot of reasons to be perturbed by the schocking news, and boxing fans online didn’t hold back.
Check out a sample of the social media reactions to the booking:
Bruh no one asked for this 😭😭😭— 30🅿️roblemz (@30problemz) September 4, 2025
We need an Executive Order banning these ridiculous things if true — Rob Johnson (@RobEJohnsonJr) September 4, 2025
Hey let's go watch two fighters spar. PASS — Critically Thinking & Drinking 🧐🥃🧉🍸🍹🤪 (@TheCriticalDri1) September 5, 2025
Asking both of them to read a book would be more entertaining. — PrizePicks (@PrizePicks) September 4, 2025
Well I will definitely watch that. Hopefully not some fake crap like Mike's last fight. — Aaron Dibert (@dibert_aaron) September 4, 2025
What debts does Mike gotta pay off man — Providence (@Prov1denc3) September 4, 2025
This gotta be televised money laundering smh 🤦🏽♂️— The Ðoge Ambassador (@dogeofficialrep) September 5, 2025
Yeah.. "fight" is that what I watch vs Logan Paul? People won't fall for this again.. — Bitcoin Not Crypto (@chris_minka) September 4, 2025
this gotta be the most obvious cashgrab fight scam ever pic.twitter.com/Oj3Efa3vUy — Global Index (@TheGlobal_Index) September 5, 2025
This is disgusting. Nasty work on both their parts. Very disappointing to my GOATS agree to this nonsense. — ⚡️Bye Bye Student Loans⚡️ (@JdfixesCredit) September 5, 2025
Mike Tyson was given a stark warning about his health following his fight against Jake Paul, with the boxing legend set to return to the ring against Floyd Mayweather. Tyson controversially resumed his professional boxing career when he fought Paul last year.
Despite the boxing legend's recent health scares, which includes an ulcer flare-up, he has booked an exhibition against Mayweather.
Speaking after Tyson's defeat to Paul, a doctor delivered a scathing assessment of his performance against the YouTuber-turned-boxer, bemoaning authorities for allowing him to compete against a much younger opponent.
Dr. Brian Sutterer labelled Tyson's return to the ring as 'shameful' and called for fighters to take some 'responsibility'. "As a sports medicine doctor this fight was one of the most shameful things I've seen on TV," he began.
Dr. Sutterer added: "Fighters really need to step up and take some responsibility here and set some clear standards because we're starting to see more and more of these exhibition types of fights. Tyson himself said afterwards that he didn't think this was it for him... he thought he was going to fight again and there's no clarification or guidelines in these rules about the age gap and the age discrepancy."
"I will admit if Tyson was going to be fighting someone who was also 58-years-old, where you have equal pairings of physiologic degrading in your reaction time, I think that's a lot more fair and I think if you talk about risks to me, I don't have as much concern about that as fighting somebody with a very, very different physiologic advantage... this goes beyond just your skill as a boxer and it's at the basic root of anatomy and physiology and how your body changes over time."
Social media went wild almost immediately after the fight announcement was made. Many questions surrounding the fight, including what weight the bout will be contested at, remain unanswered.
Tyson and Mayweather both competed in exhibitions earlier in their lives after retiring from the professional circuit. UFC Hall of Famer, Daniel Cormier, a fan of both athletes, pointed out a significant problem that the two parties will have to disband ahead of fight night.
During a recent breakdown on his YouTube channel, Cormier shared his detailed reaction to the Mayweather vs. Tyson announcement.
"My biggest question always, around these things, is how do guys explain [this] to the general public?" Cormier began. "It’s not going to be an actual fight, it’s going to be an exhibition. So how much in that exhibition are we supposed to believe that they’re actually fighting?"
"I get the word 'exhibition' when you combine weight classes…the exhibition has to be fought at a pace and intensity level that make people go 'I want to watch this!'. Because when Mike fought Roy Jones, it was something I always would’ve been interested in. But when the fight happened, it felt too much like [Mike] wasn’t trying to hurt [Roy]. When I watch fights, I want to see people trying to hurt each other, it’s what we sign up for."
"People love seeing people get f—– up,” Cormier continued. “I don’t think those guys can promise violence…we’ve already seen Floyd do this with Logan Paul, doing these exhibitions. One thing I know we won’t see, is Mike starch Floyd."
Beyond the media impact, the announcement has had a personal effect on Tyson's entourage: his son has begun to show disinterest in boxing, just as his father returns to the ring in a fight that many consider more spectacle than sport.
Jeff Mayweather, Floyd's uncle, acknowledged that these types of fights are no longer about real competition, but entertainment. "It's just a show. Nobody has to do anything to excite the public," he said.
Jeff Mayweather also pointed out that fighters make more money in exhibitions than in traditional fights. "Tyson is going to get a huge check, just like Floyd. Nobody is going to ruin their money," he said. This business logic, although profitable, could be driving away new generations who are looking for authenticity in the sport."
While the organisers are betting on the historical tension between Tyson and Mayweather to sell the event, Tyson's son seems to be moving away from the sport. According to sources close to him, the young man has lost interest in boxing after seeing his father get involved in fights that could have pre-arranged results. The transformation of boxing into a spectacle has raised doubts about the competitive value of the sport.
The return of Mike Tyson to the ring alongside Floyd Mayweather marks a historic moment but also raises questions about the future of boxing. His son's disinterest reflects a deeper concern: is boxing losing its essence? While past icons fill stadiums, the sport needs to reconnect with those who see it as a passion, not just a spectacle.
This is a classic case of a cash grab opportunity. To me, CSI Sports just wants to make money and they don't care as to how they receive it. It's really unfortunate that they will get the money they want. Fans will pay for just about anything when they see an event happening.
I tend to agree that this type of match will deter future boxers. As it has been said above, exhibition fights outpay regular ones. No one wants to enter into an industry where people get paid for, "non-traditional" fights. People will most likely question the point and authencity of it all.
Above all, health should take priority. Tyson should be blocked from doing this. This fight can only do more damage than good.