Floyd Mayweather, the 49-year-old retired five-weight world champion, has told his social media followers that his next appearance in the ring is only the opening act.
The December 19 exhibition against Australian crossover fighter Matt “The Jedi” Floyd in Bangkok is “a lil tune up before me and Ryan Garcia lock up,” Mayweather wrote in a social media post reported by Yahoo Sports.
The declaration lands about ten days after Garcia himself claimed the two had verbally agreed to meet at 147 pounds for his title.
Garcia says deal is “real”
Garcia, the 28-year-old WBC welterweight champion, announced the agreement on X on 21 October by posting a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Mayweather and the message: “Trust me at first I thought this was bull***. But it’s real. Floyd and I agree to a fight.”
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At the time of Garcia’s post, no date, venue, broadcaster or contract had been attached to the proposal, and the WBC had not confirmed it would sanction the undefeated Mayweather as a title challenger.
A tune-up with no title fight signed
Mayweather’s Bangkok appearance has been billed as “The GOAT vs. The Jedi” and is slated as an exhibition rather than a professional bout, according to World Boxing News. The opponent, Matt Floyd, is a 37-year-old Australian who is coming off a Misfits Boxing win over Anthony Taylor in June, with a bare-knuckle loss to former super-middleweight world champion James DeGale on his record from September 2025.
Garcia wants his end to be the opposite: a professional contest at welterweight with Mayweather’s 50-0 record on the line, and a firm date of 6 February 2027, Yahoo Sports reports. Yahoo also reports that Garcia’s team is simultaneously in advanced talks over a unification fight with WBA (Super) titleholder Teofimo Lopez, giving the champion an alternative if Mayweather does not commit.
A long list of unmade comebacks
The gap between Mayweather’s announcements and signed contracts has become its own storyline. He has not boxed professionally since beating Conor McGregor in 2017, and Boxing News Online noted that he has repeatedly switched up his ring-return plans. Previously floated bouts against Mike Tyson and Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis never reached the ring either.
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The Garcia talks sit inside the same pattern: a public declaration, a target date, no promoter attached. Until Mayweather actually walks to a Bangkok ring on 19 December, even the tune-up is just a social media post.
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