Floyd Mayweather has announced that he will return to combat sports against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on December 31st in Japan.
The former five-weight World champion will sign a deal with Japanese MMA company RIZIN Fighting Federation and will face the unbeaten 20-year-old in a bout, with the official rule-set and weight class still to be determined.
Mayweather, who was last seen in action when defeating UFC superstar Conor McGregor in August 2017, has teased a return to combat sports in recent months – with a bout against unbeaten Russian grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov also rumoured for the 41-year-old.
“I wanted to do something different.” said Mayweather at the official press conference for the bout.
“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, admitted his surprise at being selected to face Mayweather – and would go on to describe the event as “the biggest moment in his life”.
“It was a surprise offer but I accepted without hesitation.” Nasukawa beamed.
“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.”
Article by: Rob Tebbutt
Follow Rob on Twitter at: @RobTebbutt
