Mayweather to fight kickboxer before rematch with Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather will fight veteran Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis in an exhibition bout in June before his rematch with Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao, 47, and Mayweather, 49, will fight at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday, 19 September, live on Netflix, in a rematch of their 2015 'Fight of the Century' - the richest bout in boxing history.

And former five-weight champion Mayweather - who announced he would come out of retirement for a fourth time two weeks ago - has decided to take on Zambidis in Athens to prepare for his first professional boxing match in nine years.

"2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for me. I'm on the way to entertain!! Athens, Greece, get ready. This summer will be a legendary battle," American Mayweather said on Instagram.

Zambidis, 45, boasts a 157-24 kickboxing record with 87 KOs. His last official fight was in June 2015. Mayweather has not had a pro bout since beating mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor with a 10th-round technical knockout in 2017.