LOS ANGELES: Former multi-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr has announced he will come out of retirement and return to professional boxing following his upcoming exhibition bout with Mike Tyson this spring.

The 48-year-old, who retired in 2017 with a perfect 50-0 record, said Friday that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level of the sport.

“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a statement to AFP. “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 than my events.”

A first professional fight is tentatively scheduled for this summer, with an opponent yet to be announced. Further details are expected in the coming weeks.

World’s highest-paid athlete

Nicknamed “Money,” Mayweather was once the world’s highest-paid athlete, earning an estimated $300 million in 2015 according to Forbes. At his peak, he was widely regarded as boxing’s pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for more than a decade with his defensive mastery and tactical precision.

His last professional bout came in 2017 against former UFC champion Conor McGregor, a crossover spectacle that generated massive global interest and revenue. Since then, Mayweather has participated in several high-profile exhibition fights, including a win over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024.

Mayweather has now signed an exclusive agreement with promoter CSI Sports/Fight Sports, which will begin after his exhibition clash with Tyson.

Boxing outlet The Ring recently reported that the Mayweather-Tyson exhibition is scheduled for April 25 in the Republic of Congo, though neither the date nor the venue has been officially confirmed.

Tyson, 59, last fought in November 2024, suffering a one-sided defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas. The Netflix-backed event drew a crowd of around 70,000 spectators, with millions more watching globally.

Despite past controversies surrounding his career and personal life, Mayweather remains one of the most commercially successful fighters in boxing history. His return to professional competition is likely to generate significant attention across the sport and beyond.

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Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement