Months ago, when asked if he would step into the ring again, Iron Mike replied, “The only person I’m fighting now is my accountant.” The interview with Men’s Health followed last November’s showdown with Jake Paul. Now, as the boxing world braced itself for the historic Canelo-Crawford fight, news arrived—Mike Tyson will face Floyd Mayweather in a 2026 exhibition. It’s been a shocking revelation. Mayweather, for one, is only 48 and has been pretty active in the exhibition circuit. However, it’s a different case as far as Tyson is concerned.

At age 58, he faced Jake Paul, 30 years his junior. The bout involved special rules. Still, it came under scathing criticism. The Mayweather bout is still months away, and discussions are largely restricted to behind closed doors. However, for Mike Tyson, it was hard to ignore the echoes of the uncomfortable truth. The fight with an unbeaten former champion, who, barring the non-scorer against Logan Paul, has never ventured outside 154 pounds professionally, saw him fend off a few pressing concerns back home.

Mike Tyson forced to face the harsh truth at home

“I have a 14-year-old son,” said Mike Tyson in the latest episode of Today.com. “And something happened,” he revealed. “My wife and I were talking about the fight, and my son said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. You know, for that moment I didn’t know what to say,” the boxing great added when one of the hosts checked if he planned to continue fighting.

His son’s poser filled Tyson with sorrow. So he tried making junior understand. “Because I’m the best that ever did it.” The conversation emerged when Tyson started talking about his new one-man show, Return of the Mike. Soon, he added an interesting perspective—the money.

“Listen, I made more money in my 50s than I did in my 20s, fighting. You know, I only had four fights in my 50s,” he said. Later, when the hosts asked for predictions about the Mayweather bout, Mike Tyson pointed out, “This is going to be some good stuff, right? Because I’m already—what, three fights in? I got all of my butters and jitters and stuff. So this is going to be the best one.”

Away from Today’s studio, during an interview, Newsmax‘s Greta Van Susteren also asked, “If he were sitting here right now, what would you say to Floyd Mayweather?”

A torrent of unconventional displays

With his usual confidence, the youngest heavyweight champion in history responded, “You’re in a lot of trouble, young man.” Reports of the Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather fight followed the news about the Jake Paul-Gervonta Davis exhibition.

The fight between Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has primarily fought as a heavyweight/cruiserweight, and a lightweight champion who has never gone above 140 pounds, has attracted a fair amount of criticism. The teams insist the November 14 show at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, serves only one purpose—entertainment.

So Tyson and Mayweather’s spring 2026 meetup, in all likelihood, may follow in its footsteps.

Five years ago, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. But the Olympian, a ring genius, had forayed into weight divisions such as cruiserweight and heavyweight during the later stages of his brilliant career. So one might as well agree with the reasons Tyson specified—’If it makes money, it must be good.‘

What are your thoughts on the Tyson-Mayweather exhibition?