Videos of Floyd Mayweather Jr. training with his cousin Lehki – uncle and long-time trainer Roger Mayweather’s son – have gone viral. The footage surfaces at a time when a surprising development is already stirring debate across the boxing world. Adding a new chapter to an outstanding career that ended with the Conor McGregor fight, the 50-0 former champion, who turns 49 tomorrow, has ended an eight-year retirement. His decision has drawn intense scrutiny and fueled speculation. To former friend-turned-critic 50 Cent, the signs couldn’t have been clearer – Mayweather’s rumored financial problems pushed him back into the ring.

“I think he got to right now because the money is gone,” the award-winning hip-hop artist said in an interview. “With that lifestyle, that money is GONE. Trust me. Now it’s like, “You call him, (and) he’ll be at your local host in a nightclub because he needs that action right now.”

With Manny Pacquiao stepping back in last July after four years away and former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ending a fifth retirement, Floyd Mayweather‘s decision doesn’`t feel entirely unprecedented.

Even so, the timing invites scrutiny for the very reasons 50 Cent and others have emphasized. Mayweather’s unretirement came on the heels of the $340 million lawsuit he filed against Showtime and its former president Stephen Espinoza. 50 Cent had already weighed in publicly.

“Oh no, don’t cry now, champ; they beat you out of ($340) million, you dumb a** ni**a,” the rapper wrote on Instagram. “I told you, let me read the contracts now, lace up. You have to look good fighting Mike. Then maybe we can get Bud to beat your a** for some big money.”

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Layer in the steady stream of reports highlighting the former multi-division champion’s financial concerns, and the implication becomes difficult to ignore. Mayweather’s comeback appears tied less to legacy and more to the motive long associated with his brand – money.

Inside Floyd Mayweather’s return – and what it really means

From a boxing standpoint, though active on the exhibition circuit and still maintaining a level of fitness that challenges fighters half his age, Mayweather’s return after eight years raises more questions than excitement.

“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather’s statement read. “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.”

His last professional bout, the 50th, took place on August 26, 2017. The PPV clash with MMA star Conor McGregor served as the finale he envisioned. Now, however, his comeback arrives as boxing shifts alongside other combat sports into a live-streaming era dominated by Netflix and Paramount rather than the traditional pay-per-view model. Whether Mayweather’s ambitions translate the same way remains an open question.

Mayweather already has a fight lined up. He will face Mike Tyson in an exhibition tentatively scheduled for April 25 in Congo.

With Pacquiao preparing for an exhibition of his own – against former title holder Ruslan Provodnikov – set for just a week before Mayweather-Tyson, speculation is building over whether the two boxing icons who produced the richest fight in history a decade ago will meet in the ring once more.

“CLOSER TO REALITY 🔥,” the caption of World Boxing News’ latest tweet read. “Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to fight again this summer after warm-ups against Mike Tyson and Ruslan Provodnikov. 🇨🇩🎰 As WBN reported first, Netflix is one of the interested broadcast options for MayPac2, which will be a full professional bout. 🇺🇸🇵🇭.”

Questions, however, remain. Even if Mayweather-Pacquiao II materializes, where does that leave the undefeated champion? Will he step away again after securing the lucrative payday he expects from the fight?