Mayweather backed
Floyd Mayweather will go into his controversial bout against Mike Tyson as a heavy favorite, according to most boxing analysts.
trash-talk already well in flow
Contracts have been signed, and the two legendary and long-retired boxers will take to the ring in an exhibition match in 2026, with the trash-talk already well in flow.
Undefeated and a full decade younger than Tyson at 48 years old, Mayweather is likely to be an odds-on favorite at sportsbooks when the match gets closer, although no official odds have yet been released.
Trash talk
Tyson, currently 59, most recently returned to boxing for his match against Jake Paul in 2024, which Paul won via a unanimous decision.
Numerous health concerns were raised about his advanced age, but instead, Tyson stated that Mayweather ought to have the concerns: “I still can’t believe Floyd wants to really do this. It’s going to be detrimental to his health, but he wants to do it, so it’s signed and it’s happening!”
This fight is something neither the world nor I ever thought would or could happen.”
“When CSI came to me about stepping in the ring with Floyd Mayweather, I thought, ‘No way this happens,’ but he said yes. This fight is something neither the world nor I ever thought would or could happen.”
Mayweather, meanwhile, has had several comebacks and exhibition matches since his first official retirement, with the legendary and undefeated fighter battling John Gotti III, Mikuru Asakura, and Aaron Chalmers, among others.
Posting on social media, Mayweather showed himself on a private jet with a large sum of cash, posting: “How the f*** for 29-30 years you can keep getting money like this? I’d be mad too, s***, I’d be hating on Mayweather too. Continue to hate, people only talk about winners, I’m a winner so continue to talk. Keep the bread fresh, put it in a bag. Call me the bread man.”
Betting opportunities
Mayweather’s fight against Conor McGregor in 2017 was perhaps the largest fight ever in terms of betting volume, with a surprisingly large amount on the underdog McGregor, making it an excellent event at the time for betting sharps.
there may still be enough money on Tyson to present a value opportunity betting on Mayweather
Tyson, considerably older and off the back of a loss to Jake Paul, is unlikely to face the same level of backing, although there may still be enough money on Tyson to present a value opportunity betting on Mayweather to retain his unbeaten record.
Josh Peter, a boxing writer for USA Today, estimated the odds to be around -140 Mayweather, +160 Tyson, but stated that his verdict was a split decision because “it’s hard to imagine these guys trying to each other.”
