Famous American boxer Floyd Mayweather has another successful exhibition in Japan. While in the first one he overcame kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa already in the first round, this time he took his time. He knocked out the MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura at the very end of the second round. Although he himself took a few blows before that, he said it was nothing serious and he was glad that his opponent was able to excite the crowd.
The end of the match was a bit odd as the final blow didn’t seem to land right. “Actually, it wasn’t a hard blow. I think it was more a couple of hits before that took a toll on him. Things like that happen in combat sports.” offered Floyd his opinion at the post-match press conference. He also added to the good that he was asked by a Japanese friend to let Asakuru survive the first round and knock him out in the second. “So I did what he asked me to do,” he joked, but at the same time revealed that he had trouble sleeping before the fight due to the time difference and didn’t feel quite in his own skin.
A right hand from Floyd just before the bell brings an end to the bout, and Asakura suffers his first KO loss ‼️
『The Battle Cats presents SUPER RIZIN』
PPVhttps://t.co/xluM3LdybU pic.twitter.com/hivHA3WrUn— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 25, 2022
He also watched the match directly on the spot Manny Pacquaiao, who would like a rematch with Mayweather. But the American is not the least bit interested in her.
“I ended my career, I didn’t let sport end it for me. I worked my way up to this position. Even when I was boxing at the highest level, I could dictate and was in control. I’m not going to go into the ring with any ex-boxers, world champions, to keep hurting my body. I had a reason to end my career and I’m here to have fun. Sometimes 3 rounds, sometimes 8, against guys who will help me entertain people and not get so beat up that I can barely talk. A lot of boxers had great careers, but they didn’t finish in time, boxing ended their careers. Of course, if I were Many Pacquaiao, I’d be pushing Floyd to do an exhibition with me and get paid handsomely, of course I would. But right now I enjoy fighting guys who are 8 or 15-0, YouTubers and MMA fighters. And I will continue to do what I want, to dictate to myself, because at the beginning of my career I sacrificed a lot for this, I worked hard, so now I can dictate to myself. I don’t force anyone to see my exhibitions, but there are always a lot of people who want to see me. I have a lot of crazy fans around the world. Why should I take the risk of going up against some top boxer when I get paid the same to fight anyone?’
In the foreseeable future, “Money” is planning another show in Dubai and Africa, but he would also like to return to Japan. In one of the recent interviews, he also stated that his rematch with McGregor is being arranged. But the Irishman countered that he was not interested in her.
In one of the pre-matches, Floyd’s bodyguard “Jizzy” also presented himself, who cut his first boxing match directly against the seasoned kickboxer Kodžimo Tanaka, who was 18 kg lighter. Tactically, however, he waited and after a careful first round took over the reins of the match and demolished the tired Jizzy at the beginning of the third round.
An early knockdown and the killer extinct from KOUZI (@1_kouzi) sees Jizzy go down in the final round
『The Battle Cats presents SUPER RIZIN』
PPVhttps://t.co/xluM3LdybU pic.twitter.com/jfmAfKx97s— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 25, 2022
But Mayweather only had words of appreciation for his friend, so he probably doesn’t have to worry about a place. “I take my hat off to him, he gave his best. He’s never had a match before, so to go against a guy with 50 matches… It was a good experience for him, he learned a lot. I want him to keep his head up, I’m proud of him, it hasn’t changed my view of him. It’s not for everyone and it’s not as easy as it looks. But at least he tried.”
