Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather to square off in 2026 bout

(AFP) Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather reached an agreement to face each other in an exhibition bout next year, promoter CSI Sports said Thursday.

Details of the location and date of the fight between the Americans were not disclosed, but CSI said it will occur in the "spring of 2026."

Tyson, 59, has a record of 50 wins (44 KOs) and seven losses after a career in which he established himself as the most feared heavyweight of his generation.

In recent years, he has made several comebacks to the ring. The latest was a resounding defeat to Jake Paul, a popular youtuber turned boxer, held last November before a crowd of 70,000 fans in Arlington, Texas, and millions of viewers via Netflix.

Mayweather, 48, hung up his gloves in 2017 after 50 undefeated bouts with which he conquered world titles in five categories, the largest of them super welterweight (69.8 kg).

Since then he has also participated in exhibitions, including a victory over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024.

"When CSI approached me about getting in the ring with Floyd Mayweather, I thought, 'There's no way this is going to happen," Tyson said in a statement issued by the promoter.

"I still can't believe Floyd really wants to do this. It's going to be detrimental to his health, but he wants to do it, so it's signed and it's going to happen," he added.

Mayweather's last official fight was a victory over mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in 2017.

That fight, along with Mayweather's victories over Manny Pacquiao and Mexico's Saul Canelo Alvarez, are the three most lucrative in boxing history.

"I've been doing this for 30 years and there hasn't been a single fighter who can tarnish my legacy," Mayweather recalled. "I'm the best in the boxing business. This exhibition will give the fans what they want."