There’s an old boxing adage – when the chatter stops, the deal likely has, too. Mike Tyson’s latest comment about the exhibition match with Floyd Mayweather reinforces that saying. The two were tentatively set to fight on April 25 at a venue in Congo. But ever since the date surfaced, the buzz around the friendly between the two boxing greats has steadily cooled.

Until recently, Mike Tyson sounded optimistic about the match, saying he would trade punches with the 50-0 star in the same ring used for Muhammad Ali’s fight against George Foreman almost fifty-two years ago. His hopes coincided with mixed reports of Floyd Mayweather having another exhibition in June, before he faces Manny Pacquiao in his professional comeback in September. However, when Tyson addressed the situation during an interview, clips of which were shared by @Source of Boxing, uncertainty around the April meetup only intensified. The former heavyweight champion initially tried to address the question by playing it down.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life,” he said. “But right now I’m talking about the kids, the 20-somethings, and so much of you guys.”

The response prompted the interviewer to press further and ask if he could address the situation point-blank before moving to other questions.

“I mean, I don’t know,” Mike Tyson responded. “I want to fight somebody.”

Notably, the cast on Mike Tyson was visible – something that had previously alarmed Ariel Helwani. During their interview, the MMA journalist had asked whether the injury, which the boxing icon revealed was sustained during a training session, would prove detrimental to the upcoming bout. Tyson, however, didn’t make much of it.

Those remarks followed earlier comments in which he spoke confidently about the Mayweather fight.

Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather: A showdown slipping away?

“Hey, listen, that’s something I signed for already,” he told the Canadian journalist. “It’s already going down; it’s going to be going down—Africa….It’s just free fighting, catchweight, everything…And it’s going to be in the same ring that Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were in.”

However, Tyson’s words and optimism now contrast with the developments unfolding on Floyd Mayweather’s side.

The unbeaten former world champion announced his comeback to professional boxing a few weeks ago. Reports confirming a rematch with Manny Pacquiao on September 19 soon followed. Meanwhile, another update revealed that Mayweather would face kickboxer and martial artist Mike Zambidis in an exhibition fight in Greece.

That’s three consecutive fights for the 49-year-old Mayweather.

With that kind of schedule, the Tyson match becomes increasingly difficult to slot in. It offers little upside beyond a legacy meetup against another all-time great. With the Pacquiao fight now in focus, Mayweather could treat the exhibition with the Greek MMA fighter as a preparatory fight.

The Tyson meetup can still wait. It could be postponed for later this year, after the Pacquiao bout, or early next year.

For fans hoping to see two of the greatest boxers in history share the ring – even if it’s a friendly exchange – Tyson’s latest comments only deepen the uncertainty surrounding a matchup that remains stuck between possibility and doubt.