Floyd Mayweather will return to the land of the rising sun, and compete under the RIZIN Fighting Federation banner for the second time this September.
During a press conference Monday, both Mayweather and new opponent Mikuru Asakura were present to announce the bout, which will be an exhibition boxing contest lasting three rounds.
Mayweather previously competed for RIZIN in 2018, in another exhibition contest against young star Tenshin Nasukawa. Vastly outsized, Nasukawa wound up knocked down three times in the opening round, which led to his corner throwing in the towel.
Speaking to the media at Monday’s press conference, Mayweather addressed his longevity, the exhibition nature of the contest, and opponent Asakura.
“The name of the game is to hit and not get hit. The less you’re hit, the longer you last. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I need this to make smart investments and take care of my family,” Mayweather, one of the most defensively gifted boxers of all time, stated. “But it’s exhibition. I’ve heard it so many times. ‘I’mma beat Floyd, I’mma beat Floyd.’ Well we can go out there and he can do good for all three rounds, I’ll still be 50-0, because it don’t count.”
“Now when it’s for all the marbles, if it’s really for all the marbles, then ya’ll know what I can do,” exclaimed Mayweather. “Like the last time I went to Japan [against Nasukawa], I asked them ‘whatcha all want? Ya want to go the distance, tell me what you want, you want one round, two rounds, or three rounds?’ I said ‘because I can drag it out like the Logan Paul fight if you want me to, or I can clip him early, I can clip his wings early.’ So what I did, I went out there and clipped his wings early.”
“A lot of times, when you violate, we will demonstrate,” Mayweather added. “But I’m pretty sure he [Asakura] believes in his skills, but you’ve gotta realize, no fighter that he has ever been in the ring with is Floyd Mayweather.”
Mayweather retired from boxing at 50-0, with his final pro bout a defeat of UFC superstar Conor McGregor, in what became known as The Money Fight. It wound up as the second highest-selling PPV of all time, behind only Mayweather-Pacquiao.
Asakura holds a record of 16-3, 1NC in MMA, and is a former RINGS featherweight and lightweight champion. He challenged for RIZIN’s featherweight title in 2020, coming up short against Yutaka Saito. Asakura has won his last two fights.
Mayweather vs. Asakura will be available to stream on RIZIN Fight Pass, a new streaming service RIZIN is preparing to launch. The exact date for the September card and other details are expected to be released soon.
