LOS ANGELES (AP) — Floyd Mayweather says he will end a nine-year retirement and return to competitive boxing this summer.
Mayweather, who turns 49 on Tuesday, has not fought in a real boxing match since defeating Conor McGregor in 2017. After that huge fight against an MMA fighter, Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) announced his retirement for the third time in his career.
advertise
The former five-division world champion remained a regular presence in the ring well into his 40s, engaging in a series of lucrative exhibition bouts with the likes of internet influencer Logan Paul, YouTuber Mikuri Asakura and John Gotti III, the grandson of a notorious mafia boss.
Mayweather has announced another exhibition fight this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, but a specific location or TV partner has not yet been determined.
But Mayweather said he will also return to real boxing this year under a promotional deal with CSI Sports/Fight Sports.
“I remain capable of setting many more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a statement. “From my upcoming Mike Tyson fight to my next professional fight after that, no one will generate bigger gates, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more revenue per fight than mine.”
advertise
Mayweather has been arguably the biggest star in American boxing for more than a decade, beating Manny Pacquiao in 2015 in what was then the richest fight in boxing history. His superb defensive skills and quick hands were his in-ring strengths, but his surge in stardom and fortune was largely due to his “Money Plum” anti-hero persona.
Mayweather has been flaunting his lavish lifestyle online since the invention of social media, but he filed a lawsuit earlier this year against former Showtime Networks and Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, claiming he is owed more than $300 million. Mayweather’s convoluted lawsuit appears to accuse the network of failing to protect the boxer from the business practices of his longtime financial adviser, Al Haymon.
Mayweather was also indicted this year for allegedly failing to pay rent on his Manhattan apartment, and he has been involved in financial disputes with at least two prominent jewelers.
Mayweather’s return to professional boxing comes a year after Pacquiao, 47, resumed his career. Pacquiao is expected to face Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in Las Vegas, his second fight since his return.
___
AP Boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
