Mike Tyson announces knockout at exhibition against Floyd Mayweather. The ex-champ talks about lessons learned from the Paul fight – and a date in Africa in March.
Mike Tyson is heating up the conversation about a possible show duel with Floyd Mayweather. The 59-year-old sees a clear end in sight for a planned exhibition in Africa in March. “Floyd wanted to fight me – it looks like he’s going to get knocked out,” says Tyson in an interview with Hard Rock Bet. He adds: The performance would “destroy everything” Mayweather had previously achieved.
Whether the date has actually been set remains to be seen. Tyson himself mentions “March or April” as a rough timeframe. Media reports are more specific about the plan and speak of March 2026 in Africa, while details about the location and rules are still missing.
Tyson expects a better performance this time than last time against Jake Paul. The fight on November 15, 2024 ended with a points defeat after eight rounds. However, Tyson also struggled with serious health problems during his preparations. By his own account, he lost a lot of blood in the summer of 2024 due to an ulcer hemorrhage and received several transfusions. Now he says: “I feel good. Better than I have for a long time.” He has learned from the last fight and has to work less “extremely” in training so that he doesn’t leave his strength in the gym.
Relationship with Mayweather
Tyson is not focusing on a personal feud. “I have a pretty decent relationship with him. I don’t hate him,” he explains. At the same time, respect shines through: Mayweather “is one of the greats,” says Tyson.
The main thing that is certain so far is that the duel as an exhibition has been on the agenda since 2025, but there are no exact key dates. In September 2025, Reuters reported an agreement in principle for “next spring”, without specifying a date or location. ESPN reports along the same lines and names CSI Sports/Fight Sports as the organizer.
Text by Robin Josten