Floyd Mayweather isn’t coming back to professional boxing at 49 just to make up the numbers.
The announcement focuses on an April exhibition with Mike Tyson in Congo, followed by an exclusive agreement with CSI Sports / FIGHT SPORTS to resume his professional career.
The Tyson event will draw headlines — it was always going to with those two names attached. But exhibitions do not change an official record.
If Mayweather is stepping back into sanctioned competition, it is because there is a number attached to it — 51-0. He didn’t sign a professional deal to circle around contenders.
WBN understands the opponent tied to that number is Manny Pacquiao.
April Sets The Table
The calendar alignment is not accidental.
Pacquiao faces Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18. Mayweather meets Tyson the following week. Both men return to the spotlight within days of each other, and neither date blocks a summer window.
For months, WBN has reported that both fighters agreed to a rematch framework, with terms still being finalized. Indistry has led the promotion discussions, including exploring distribution options such as Netflix.
The outstanding piece was Mayweather’s formal return to sanctioned boxing. That question is no longer hanging over the negotiations.
The exclusive agreement with CSI Sports / FIGHT SPORTS is not cosmetic; it provides the contractual footing required for a sanctioned rematch of this scale.
A licensed professional bout is the only route beyond 50-0. At this stage of his career, a second meeting with Pacquiao is the only fight that makes that risk make sense.
Legacy Versus Leverage
From a commercial standpoint, the rematch would be enormous. That part is straightforward.
From a historical standpoint, it is more nuanced.
Mayweather’s legacy is secure: five-weight world champion, defensive specialist, and a central figure in three of the highest-grossing events the sport has produced.
Pacquiao’s résumé does not require revision either. An eight-division world champion, he remains one of boxing’s defining figures even at 47.
A 2026 rematch does not recreate 2015, and it does not return either man to his physical peak.
What it does offer is a chance to settle the rivalry on the official ledger. For Mayweather, that means pursuing a clean 51-0. For Pacquiao, it means an opportunity to alter how the rivalry is ultimately remembered.
Whether that materially enhances either legacy is debatable. At this point, the stakes are as much about settling unfinished business as they are about proving something new.
Summer Comes Into View
With both fighters active in April, the runway toward summer is open. Las Vegas in July remains the obvious landing spot — familiar territory that has already delivered for both men.
No formal announcement has been made, but WBN’s reporting has pointed in the same direction from the outset.
Mayweather has not re-entered the professional ranks casually. If the undefeated record is back in play, it’s because the fight is big enough to warrant it.
And that target leads back to Manny Pacquiao.
Source: worldboxingnews.com