Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura Exhibition Fight Announced for September
June 14, 2022
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has another exhibition upcoming.
The former boxer will face MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in Japan this September, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), his second exhibition in the country since his retirement from professional boxing five years ago.
Mayweather faced Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the country back in 2018, an event that he showed up two hours late to before promptly knocking Nasukawa to the mat three times in a two-minute span, leaving him in tears after his corner called the fight.
"It was all about entertainment. We had fun," Mayweather said after the bout, ever the salesman. "Tokyo, Japan, you guys have been amazing. Thank you."
It probably helped the sales pitch that Mayweather reportedly made $9 million from the exhibition.
While Mayweather enjoyed himself, many of the people who tuned in for that fight saw through the spectacle:
Mayweather's exhibition against Mikuru likely won't be much different. While Mayweather was a perfect 50-0 in his boxing career, Mikuru is 16-3-1 in his MMA career and currently fights in the Rizin promotion.
Holding the fight under boxing rules gives Mayweather an obvious advantage, as it did when he faced Conor McGregor and Tenshin.
One difference is that Mikuru will be at much less of a size and weight disadvantage, as he fights around 145-150 pounds, whereas Tenshin is closer to 125 pounds. By the end of his career, Mayweather was fighting in the welterweight division (140-147 pounds).