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The boxing world has been set abuzz by the announcement of Floyd Mayweather’s next exhibition bout, which is scheduled for September. The former boxer will be taking on Japanese MMA promotion Rizin’s top featherweight prospect, Mikuru Asakura. Asakura, who is also a former title challenger in Rizin, is a popular YouTuber in Japan with over 2.6 million followers.
The 29 year old Japanese martial artist stands at 5’9.5”, which is about 1.5 inches taller than his opponent. The former multiweight division champion will be competing in his third exhibition bout. The rules and length of the bout have not yet been made public.
His return to Japan comes almost four years after competing in his first exhibition bout against Tenshin Nasukawa at Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
The legendary boxer shared his thoughts ahead of the bout:
“It’s still a great feeling to travel around the world and basically do these exhibition bouts and have fun and continue. My legacy is already engraved in stone, but it is still great to go around the world and entertain people from all walks of life,”
Floyd Mayweather fight is a big opportunity for Mikuru Asakura
Floyd Mayweather's opponent, Mikuru Asakuru, said that he plans to utilize the Mayweather fight as an opportunity to elevate his international stock. He is currently 16-3-1 in his professional MMA career.
As opposed to the majority of Floyd's opponents, Asakura is a good match for the 45 year old physically. The MMA fighter has weighed in between 143-150 pounds throughout his professional career. Money himself served as the welterweight world champion, weighing in at 149.5 pounds for his last professional fight.
Mayweather said during the press conference that he, throughout his illustrious career, has seen all types of boxing styles. Hence, his objective here would be to compete for fun and give a show to the Japanese audience.
The last time he squared off with a Rizin star in Japan, he left the ring with $9 million in the bank after competing for just 138 seconds. ‘Money’ shared his excitement to be competing again in Japan.
