Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on March 12 wearing a visible cast on his right hand, confirmed he suffered a training-camp sprain, and offered conflicting answers about whether his exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather will proceed as planned.
The injury adds uncertainty to an event that was already facing delays. The “Legend vs. Legend” exhibition was tentatively scheduled for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but multiple reports in early March indicated that date was no longer viable, and Tyson’s own words on the show did little to settle the question.
Asked directly whether the fight was still happening, Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) sounded broadly positive.
“I believe so.”
But when pressed on whether the hand sprain could push the date back, the 59-year-old was far less definitive.
“We will see…”
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported on March 4 that April 25 was dead as a date, writing that “per source with knowledge of the plans, it definitely won’t be that date. It will move to a later date & while it might be in Congo no site is set.” Michael J. Babcock of TMZ Sports said on March 2 that he was told the fight was “most likely May in Congo.”
Tyson’s sprain, with a cast visible roughly six weeks before even the tentative April target, raises questions about his ability to maintain a full training schedule. He has released very little training footage compared to his 2024 return against Jake Paul, and his most recent health-related social media post, on February 19, was captioned “Let’s get healthy again.”
Tyson’s tone just weeks earlier was more certain. In a mid-February interview with TMZ Sports, he said: “Yeah it’s happening. You think I’d give that up? I was minding my business. He challenged me.”
No Weight Limit Confirmed
Tyson also confirmed during the interview that there will be no weight restriction for the bout, emphasizing the weight difference between the fighters. Tyson weighed 228.4 lbs for his fight with Jake Paul in 2024. Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) last weighed in at 160.8 lbs for his exhibition against John Gotti III that same year. That puts the projected gap somewhere around 70 to 80 lbs.
The exhibition is set for eight two-minute rounds with heavier gloves and will not count on either fighter’s professional record. It is being organized by CSI Sports and Fight Sports.
Mayweather’s Schedule on Hold
Any delay has consequences beyond this one event. Rafael reported that Mayweather is contractually obligated to complete the Tyson exhibition before he can proceed with other planned bouts, including a June exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis in Athens and a reported September professional fight against Manny Pacquiao at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
For now, the fight has no confirmed date, no locked venue, and one participant in a cast. Promoters have not issued an updated timeline.
