American boxing icon Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring in June for an exhibition bout against veteran Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, as part of preparations for his highly anticipated rematch with Manny Pacquiao later this year.
The Pacquiao–Mayweather rematch is scheduled for Saturday, 19 September, at the Sphere in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on Netflix. The bout revisits their 2015 “Fight of the Century,” widely regarded as the richest contest in boxing history.
Mayweather, 49, a former five-weight world champion, announced two weeks ago that he would come out of retirement for the fourth time. The exhibition against Zambidis will take place in Athens and is intended to sharpen his fitness ahead of what will be his first professional boxing match in nine years.
“2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for me,” Mayweather said in a post on social media. “I’m on the way to entertain. Athens, Greece, get ready. This summer will be a legendary battle.”
Zambidis, 45, is a highly decorated kickboxer with a professional record of 157 wins and 24 losses, including 87 knockouts. His last official fight took place in June 2015.
Mayweather’s most recent professional boxing appearance came in 2017, when he defeated mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor via a 10th-round technical knockout.
The June exhibition is expected to draw significant global attention as Mayweather builds momentum toward one of boxing’s most talked-about rematches.
