Boxing icon Mike Tyson will return to the ring aged 59 in 2026, and fans now know why.
The crossover and exhibition boxing trend has shown no sign of slowing, and it continues to lead to widely questioned bouts and comebacks. Among the most prominent is Tyson’s late-career activity.
‘Iron Mike’ was out of the ring for 14 years before making his return against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. And most recently, Tyson fought Jake Paul on Netflix in a controversial bout that had a 31-year age difference.
Many hoped that clash last November would have marked the 59-year-old’s last, but an exhibition match between Tyson and Floyd Mayweather was recently announced for early 2026.
Mike Tyson will stop fighting when promoters ‘stop giving me money’
Tyson and Mayweather share a decades-long feud, but at this point in their lives, not many are clamoring to see it reach the ring. With that in mind, the reveal of their exhibition bout was met with significant backlash.
Among the main talking points is the heavyweight legend’s decision to continue fighting in a year that will see him turn 60. The man himself recently explained why he defies his children’s pleas for him to retire during an appearance on TODAY.
“Listen, I’m gonna say this,” Tyson began. “I have a 14-year-old son. Something happened, me and my boy were talking about the fight and my son said, ‘Why? Why are you doing it?’
“For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. … I felt sad and said, ‘Wow, it’s because I am the best that ever did it, that’s why.’ He didn’t get it, but I said, ‘I have to.’
“Listen, I made more money in my fifties than I did in my twenties from fighting. … Now I’m 60 years old, the money doesn’t mean nothing (to me, but) the people I love I can take care of.
“This is gonna be some good stuff,” Tyson added regarding his fight against Mayweather. “I’m already three fights in (to my return) now, so I’ve already got over all my jitters and stuff, so this is gonna be the best one.
“My son and my daughters said, ‘This is gonna be the last one, right Dad?’ I say, ‘If these people stop giving me money, yes, this will be the last one.’
Joe Rogan says Mike Tyson vs Floyd Mayweather ‘might be real’
These days, many dismiss fights if they have the ‘exhibition’ stipulation attached, with previous bouts such as Mayweather vs Logan Paul and Tyson’s last two matches being branded by some as glorified sparring sessions.
During his Fight Companion for last Saturday’s UFC Paris event, Joe Rogan gave his thoughts on Tyson vs Mayweather and suggested it might be the first “real” exhibition fight.
“They’re exhibitions. Just means nobody wins,” Rogan said of fights like Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis.
“Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather don’t like each other. They have not liked each other forever.
“If there’s a fight that might be real, where Mike Tyson might say, ‘I’m gonna knock this motherf—- out,’ (it’s this).”