Last weekend, it was announced by Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather that the two will face off in a boxing exhibition in 2026. According to them, this is already signed and will be promoted by their respective promotions. News of this happening was met mostly with agonizing sighs; there are several reasons for this. Above all, most of us see this as one of the most blatant money grabs ever. It’s received that way because of the precedent that has been set. Let’s get into it.

Here’s the precedent

Nearly a year ago, on Nov. 15, 2024, Tyson stepped into the ring with Jake Paul. It was Netflix’s first attempt at live-streaming a sporting event—and this one saw Tyson seemingly looking to be in his first competitive exhibition in decades. During the pandemic era some years prior, Tyson faced off with Roy Jones Jr. However, there was an unspoken understanding in that fight that no one was looking to be hurt. What that fight did was prove that at Tyson’s advanced age, he could still commit to getting in shape for a fight. And if you build it… they will come.

The possibility of seeing Tyson fight again was tangible. That ember continued to burn. This was the case until the deal with Jake Paul came along. The Jones fight birthed these opportunities, and it fit the perfect storm for what Paul does, which is create boxing spectacles with the goal of catching eyeballs. So, akin to HBO’s 24/7 series, we were given a documentary-style series during the lead-up to the fight. We saw both competitors train for the moment and sell to us that they were taking this fight seriously.

Well, come fight night, that was not the case. As far as I’m concerned, Tyson mailed it in. We saw nothing reminiscent of what his training videos would have us believe he was capable of. He ultimately seemed happy to be done with it and the training. I’d go as far as to say he was even happier to have pocketed that money. But, as George Bush once famously said, “Fool me once, sh-shame on you, you fool me, you can’t get fooled again!”

Leave well enough alone

Trust me, fooled again we will not be! Mayweather has probably fought twice a year in boxing exhibitions over the last few years. Most of these bouts have been overseas. But I don’t see the intrigue for the boxing fan, whether they be casual or diehard. For starters, Tyson is a career heavyweight boxer. In no way will he lose weight to get closer to Mayweather’s size. Mayweather spent the majority of his prime as a welterweight. There’s no way he’d even try to sniff fighting at 180 pounds.

So, why should we watch? That’s the ultimate question. I don’t think that we should is my answer. As much as I view these two men as my two favorite boxers ever, they have no business in the ring with one another. This fight, to me, exudes egregious greed. There’s no amount of promotion—and tired phrasing of “the fans will get what they want”—to lead me to believe that. You had us fooled in 2024, but I think that we won’t be checking for this one in 2026. Certainly not with a 60-year-old Tyson and a 49-year-old Mayweather.

Let’s have a backbone as fans and, to the best of our ability, let’s pay this fight no mind. They’ve slapped us in the face once. Let’s not have these guys land a haymaker now.