Two boxers are in agreement on social media site X over the real reason Floyd Mayweather is breaking his retirement to return to the ring in another exhibition, ahead of a legitimate professional fight.
Mayweather announced Friday that his participation in boxing this year won’t be limited to an unofficial bout alongside Mike Tyson, but feature a fully sanctioned fight, too, in which he’d put his unbeaten record on the line to “break more records” in the sport.
The former five-weight world champion has been linked with an exhibition with fellow Hall-of-Famer, Mike Tyson, but as of yet there remains no date or location mentioned. Now, boxing archive television channel CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS say they have the rights behind the fighter’s un-retirement.
It was not long before fans, media, and fighters reacted.
And Ishe Smith, a former Mayweather Promotions fighter, told his followers to “read in between the lines.”
Smith said: “People don’t come out of retirement for the love of the game at damn near 50. That’s not how boxing works.”
“Mans tricked all that money off and needs to come back.”
The self-proclaimed GWOAT, Claressa Shields, said: “I hate to agree with you.”
The bombshell follows Mayweather filing a $340 million lawsuit in California against Showtime Sports and its former president Stephen Espinoza, alleging they helped conceal and misappropriate a large portion of his career earnings, including pay-per-view profits from various mega-fights, per a TMZ Sports report.
Mayweather claims the network and executives enabled his longtime advisor Al Haymon’s diversion of funds to profit unjustly, and now demands damages.
It all comes at a time in which a long-read on Business Insider looked into the boxing legend’s post-sport finances and highlighted debt and liquidity issues amid other concerns.
Mayweather’s unblemished 50-0 record is one of modern boxing’s more enduring narratives as it reflected his dominance across multiple weight classes, while beating the likes of Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, Oscar de la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Conor McGregor.
It’s unclear what kind of opponent is being thought of but a rematch against Pacquiao, or even a bad blood bout involving his former protege Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, both contain clear, sellable narratives heading into any event.