If there’s one thing that Floyd Mayweather can’t resist it’s a big fat pay cheque.And the boxing legend is about to boost his huge bank balance even more after signing a deal with a mixed martial arts company to fight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.Mayweather, who turns 42 in February, last appeared in a competitive fight back in August 2017, when he defeated UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a lucrative boxing match in Las Vegas.That extended the former five-weight world champion’s perfect record to 50 wins and most people assumed that would be his final fight.However, speculation has been rife in recent weeks that Mayweather would go head-to-head against McGregor again, Manny Pacquiao in a rematch of their 2015 bout or, curiously, the UFC’s current big star Khabib Nurmagomedov.The announcement that he’ll face 20-year-old Nasukawa, who competes in the RIZIN Fighting Federation, has caught everybody off guard."I wanted to do something different," Mayweather told reporters, per BBC Sport, during the announcement."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."
Nasukawa, who has a 27-0 record in kickboxing and a 4-0 record in MMA, added: "It was a surprise offer but I accepted without hesitation.
"It's the biggest moment in my life and I want to be the man who changes history. I'll do that with these fists, with one punch - just watch."
As sports writer Michael Benson has pointed out on Twitter, we know Mayweather is fighting the undefeated Nasukawa in Japan on December 31 and that’s about it.
We don’t know what weight, what rules, or even what sport at this moment in time.
Footage has emerged of Nasukawa in action, however, and it’s clear that Mayweather has agreed to fight a very dangerous opponent.
This video of his top 15 knockouts shows exactly what he’s capable of…
If Mayweather has agreed an MMA fight against this lad, then he could be in big trouble.
Here’s what fight fans have been saying after watching footage of Nasukawa…