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Mikuru Asakura has promised to do what over 50 fighters have so far failed to accomplish - beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match.
Asakura, a mixed martial arts fighter, will square off against Mayweather Jr. this September. Despite the match being an exhibition, the Japanese star claimed he will use it as a stepping stone to increase his value as a fighter.
In a press conference held to announce the fight, Asakura introduced himself to the world, saying:
“Everybody, my name is Mikuru Asakura and I will be defeating Floyd Mayweather. I am an MMA fighter but I am going to use this opportunity and I am going to use him to raise my name and value internationally. I will win in this fight.”
Watch Mikuru Asakura introduce himself at the presser for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. below:
The bout will take place in Japan under the RIZIN FF banner. The exact date and other details are expected to be released soon.
Asakura holds an MMA record of 16-3, with one no contest. He has eight knockouts in his pro career, with his most recent finish coming against Satoshi Yamasu in the first round. He has spent the majority of his professional MMA career fighting under RIZIN FF.
A former RINGS featherweight and lightweight champion, Asakura challenged for RIZIN’s featherweight title two years ago but came up short against Yutaka Saito. The 29-year-old has not competed in 2022, although he fought three times last year, winning two of them via unanimous decision.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s exhibition matches
The bout will be Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s third exhibition match since retiring as a professional. As a pro, he last fought in 2017, defeating former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor to remain unbeaten with 50-0.
This will be the second time ‘Money’ will fight in the land of the rising sun since his retirement. His first foray into exhibition bouts came in 2018 against Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan, which was also held under the RIZIN promotional banner. The 45-year-old knocked Nasukawa down three times in the opening round, prompting his opponent’s corner to throw in the towel.
Mayweather Jr.'s most notable exhibition bout came against YouTuber Logan Paul in June 2021. Most recently, he dominated Don Moore in May in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on a card he shared with former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
Mayweather Jr. was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame over the weekend.
