Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fighting once again.
Mayweather, the retired 50-0 champion who has reigned over the sport of boxing throughout the last 20 years, has signed with Rizin FF and will make his debut at Rizin 14 on New Year?s Eve. Mayweather will face kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa at the event taking place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The ruleset for this fight has not been announced.
In the press conference announcing his involvement with Rizin, Mayweather said the relationship between him and the promotion will go beyond December 31.
?I?m very happy to be back in Tokyo? I couldn?t choose a better company than Rizin. Rizin has done a remarkable job with the fighters. I look forward to giving you guys entertainment come December 31st. My relationship with Rizin doesn?t stop just here. I look forward to taking this worldwide,? Mayweather said.
Shortly before the press conference, Mayweather posted a picture on his Instagram account showing him wearing Rizin gloves.
Mayweather, who has not fought since stopping Conor McGregor in the 10th round of their boxing fight in August 2017, had previously hinted at returning to the ring. Mayweather and longtime rival Manny Pacquiao met in Tokyo in mid-September, hinting at a possible rematch. There were also reports that a rematch was going to happen in 2019 after both men fought in tune-up fights. Pacquiao is slated to fight Adrien Broner in January 2019 after signing with PBC while Mayweather is coming to Rizin, although a rematch with Pacquiao is up in the air.
Nasukawa is an undefeated kickboxer who won the RISE featherweight title earlier this year. The 20-year-old Nasukawa last fought in September at Rizin 13, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Kyoji Horiguchi.
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