Fans would be forgiven for thinking they had travelled back in time when recent reports suggested Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao were in talks for a rematch. Even more bizarre is the idea that Mayweather may instead face Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout.
Pacquiao made his return to professional boxing this year, fighting Mario Barrios to a draw in his bid to break his own record as the oldest world welterweight champion in history. Though he did not walk away with the belt, he impressed enough people to now be in talks for another fight next year.
At one point that was rumoured to be a second clash with Mayweather. The Filipino fighting icon lost in their 2015 contest and has always expressed an interest in running it back.
At the same time as those rumours, Mayweather and Tyson announced they would be fighting some time in 2026, with ‘Iron’ Mike recently revealing that March was the timeline and Africa the location. There is still no official promoter or broadcaster for the event, leading many to believe it will fizzle out.
Should it happen, and the ruleset allows for a winner, Pacquiao told FightHype the outcome depends on 59-year-old Tyson — who faced Jake Paul in a professional contest late last year and looked nowhere near his former glory — and his preparations.
“It depends. It depends if Mike Tyson will train hard … it’s one punch.”
Pacquiao is instead pushing for a return against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, the current WBA Welterweight Champion, in a second attempt to win back a title. Romero has appealed for a voluntary defence in order to make it happen.
