Mike Tyson reveals bold prediction about a Floyd Mayweather fight, whether he’ll fight Jake Paul again

Tyson says negotiations between he and Money Mayweather are currently ongoing, with a tentative date set for March or April of 2026.

Mike Tyson has a prediction for his hypothetical fight with Floyd Mayweather, should it ever materialize.

“He’s going to get knocked out,” the 59-year-old former undisputed champion told Hard Rock Bet.

In September, a fight was announced between two of the best fighters of their respective generations despite both being well past their respective primes. According to Tyson, the idea for the fight originated from Mayweather, who has been participating in exhibition matches since his retirement fight against Conor McGregor in 2017.

“Floyd wanted to fight me,” Tyson said. “I think I got a pretty good relationship with him. I don’t hate him. I don’t have any harsh feelings.”

Tyson says negotiations between the two fighters are currently ongoing, with a tentative date set for March or April of 2026. Tyson last fought in November 2024, losing a lopsided decision to YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul. Tyson admitted he had some “real bad health problems” going into the fight with Paul but wouldn’t use them as an excuse for his performance.

“I learned [a lot] from my last fight,” he said. “I left a lot of my fight in the gym. I worked too hard. I was too intense; I was too extreme. I need to relax more. That’s what I always believe. I need to relax more.” When asked if he wanted a rematch with Paul after facing Mayweather, Tyson quickly agreed.

When his name comes up to casual boxing fans, they recall “Iron Mike” at his peak in the ’80s and early ’90s, where he would knock out an opponent before you even sat down to get comfortable watching one of his fights. Tyson is 30 years removed from those days, but he remains firm in his belief that he still has some boxing left in him, even against one of the best defensive fighters ever in Mayweather.

“He’s big time,” Tyson said of “Money” Mayweather. 

When asked where he would rank this fight compared to the likes of his two fights with Evander Holyfield, facing Lennox Lewis or even when he crushed Michael Spinks, Tyson put a potential Mayweather bout in rarified air.

“It probably supersedes all my fights I ever have,” “Iron Mike” said. “It’s capable of doing that. And this is really serious. It’s going to supersede all the fights and all the glory he had before this. This is taking boxing to a new level. Almost God status.”