Oddsmakers wasted no time setting the lines. BetOnline.ag opened Floyd Mayweather as a -500 favorite, with Mike Tyson a +350 underdog.
The site also offered odds on whether the 2026 fight will occur before June 30, 2026, with “yes” at -150 and “no” at +110. Bettors have until Sept. 30 to place wagers, though those numbers are expected to move as details develop.
The boxing icons are set to collide in one of boxing’s most unlikely spectacles. The former heavyweight champion and the unbeaten defensive maestro have agreed to an exhibition bout scheduled for early 2026, a matchup already fueling intense debate.
Tyson, 59, is no stranger to the exhibition circuit but enters this bout after an uneven showing against Jake Paul earlier this year — a performance he admits he barely remembers. Despite his decline, Tyson’s size and punching power remain factors. Mayweather, 48, retired undefeated at 50-0 and built his career on defense and precision, taking far less punishment than Tyson over three decades in the ring.
Tyson acknowledged his own surprise at Mayweather’s decision. “I thought, ‘No way this happens,’ but Floyd said yes,” Tyson said. “This fight is something neither the world nor I thought would or could happen. Boxing has entered a new era of the unpredictable — and this fight is as unpredictable as it gets. 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.”
Mayweather, who has turned exhibition bouts into a lucrative second act since his 2017 retirement, shrugged off concerns. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and there hasn’t been a single fighter that can tarnish my legacy,” Mayweather said. “If I’m going to do something, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be legendary. I’m the best in the business of boxing. This exhibition will give the fans what they want.”
Promoters are expected to announce the official date and ruleset in the coming weeks. Until then, anticipation continues to build as two icons prepare to share the ring in a clash more about spectacle than legacy.
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