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What's the story?
Former 5 division boxing world champion, Floyd Mayweather, is all set to make his comeback in fantastic fashion on New Year's Eve, only this time, against a kickboxer from Japan. Tenshin Nasukawa is a Japanese kickboxer who will fight Floyd Mayweather in a bout, the rules for which are yet to be determined.
In case you didn't know..
Floyd "Money" Mayweather last featured in a boxing match against former UFC lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, in what was considered the biggest fight in combat sports history. Mayweather outclassed McGregor during the entire course of the fight with his elite boxing prowess, making it seemingly impossible for "The Notorious One" to land any strikes of significance. Floyd also said that he would retire after his fight with Conor, but retirement does not seem to be an idea that the champ wants to dabble with yet.
Tenshin Nasukawa is a kickboxer from Tokyo, Japan, with an undefeated record of 27 fights, with no losses. His last fight was against fellow Japanese kickboxer, Kyoji Horiguchi, who he beat via unanimous decision. Nasukawa is also the current RIZIN featherweight champion at the 126 weight class, who has a clean mixed martial record of 4 wins, with no losses. Here is Tenshin Natsukawa giving his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Mayweather:
"This is my biggest event in life so far and I'm very happy this is going to materialize. I'm a little surprised myself. Nobody has defeated my opponent in the past and I'd like to be the man who makes history. My punch can change history."
The heart of the matter
Floyd Mayweather entered into a legal agreement with a mixed martial arts company called the RIZIN federation. Mayweather also took his promotional activities in regards to his next fight to social media as well. The format, rules, and regulations of the fight are yet to be determined, but Mayweather assures that further details will be released "within the next couple of weeks" Floyd Mayweather has an unprecedented boxing resume, but has little to no experience in a world of fighting that may involve kicks.
The bout is set to take place at the RIZIN 14 event, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Tenshin Nasukawa is a southpaw and will be going into this fight, the significantly smaller opponent of the pair. When asked about his second fight with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather confirmed that there would be no developments on the same until Spring of next year. Manny Pacquiao will be defending his secondary welterweight title against Adrien Broner in January.
Here is Mayweather reckons of his next fight with Nasukawa:
"I wanted to do something different, 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."
What's next?
Although Mayweather has a good team, going into a fight that may not be a boxing event, may prove to be detrimental for the pound-for-pound king. Tenshin Nasukawa is young, strong, and will hungry to make his statement in the world of combat sports.
Who do you have as your favorite for this fight? Leave your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below!
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