American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve in Japan, after signing a deal with a mixed martial arts promotions company RIZIN Fighting Federation.
Former 5-weight world champion Mayweather beat UFC’s Conor McGregor in a boxing match in August 2017 to extend his perfect record to 50 wins and later announced his retirement but it seems the money-making boxer is down to any amount that befits his status.
He has talked recently about potential fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov from UFC and boxer Manny Pacquiao.
The format and rules for his forthcoming fight with Nasukawa are yet to be decided.
Floyd Mayweather has never fought in MMA before but he believes the rules and weight class of the bout will be confirmed in the next couple of weeks.
“I wanted to do something different,” said the 41-year-old American boxer, who has not fought since coming out of retirement to face McGregor.
“I wanted to display my skills outside the US and be in a special fight. I want to give the people what they want – blood, sweat and tears.”
Japan’s Nasukawa, 20, competes in the RIZIN Fighting Federation, the company Mayweather has signed with, in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
“It was a surprise offer but I accepted without hesitation,” said Nasukawa, who has a 27-0 record in kickboxing and a 4-0 record in MMA.
“It’s the biggest moment in my life and I want to be the man who changes history. I’ll do that with these fists, with one punch – just watch.”
