World turns to Nigeria for biggest bout as Mayweather makes historic return to boxing

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. is planning a return to the ring in 2026, and Nigeria has been listed as one of the countries for his international exhibition tour.

A Nigerian-born boxing promoter, Keane Anis, who is the CEO of Frontrow Fight Series and head of The Money Team Africa, said talks are ongoing to bring Mayweather to Nigeria for a major exhibition fight during the festive “Detty December” season.

Anis said Mayweather has long wanted to fight in Nigeria and is still interested in staging what he calls a “Motherland Rumble” before the 2027 elections, if the conditions are right.

The proposed event is expected to be one of the biggest sports and entertainment shows ever held in West Africa.

Mayweather’s 2026 tour will begin in Athens, Greece, in June, where he will face kickboxing champion Mike Zambidis in an exhibition fight titled “Battle of the Legends.” The event will take place at the Telecoms Center in Athens.

After that, Mayweather is expected to fight in Las Vegas in September. There are also strong rumours of a possible rematch with Manny Pacquiao, following their famous 2015 fight, which remains the highest-selling pay-per-view boxing event in history.

There are also discussions about other possible opponents for the Nigeria bout. These include a rescheduled exhibition fight with Mike Tyson or a rematch with UFC star Conor McGregor, whose 2017 boxing match with Mayweather was one of the biggest pay-per-view events ever.

Mayweather, now 49, retired from professional boxing with a perfect record of 50 wins and no losses. His opponent in Athens, Zambidis, is a 15-time kickboxing world champion with more than 150 career wins.

Anis said the goal is to make Nigeria a top destination for global sporting events. The proposed “Motherland Rumble” is expected to combine boxing, entertainment, tourism, and culture, while promoting Nigeria to the rest of the world.