Former world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is coming out of retirement once again.
Mayweather appeared at a special press conference late Sunday night from Tokyo to confirm that he will face Tenshin Nasukawa at the New Year’s Eve Rizin 14 event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Mayweather, 41 years old, is 50-0 as a pro boxer, including a 2017 victory over former UFC champion Conor McGregor.
“Rizin has done a remarkable job with the fighters,” Mayweather said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I look forward to giving you guys entertainment come December 31, but my relationship with Rizin, it doesn’t stop just here. I look forward to taking this worldwide.”
His opponent, Nasukawa, is unbeaten as a kickboxer and in MMA, going a combined 31-0. Twenty-seven of those victories have come under kickboxing rules, including a recent victory over former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi.
“I would probably say that this is my biggest event in life, so far,” Nasukawa said, via a Japanese translator. “And I’m very happy that this is going to materialize. Nobody has defeated my opponent in the past. And I would like to be the man who makes history. My punch can change the history and I will show that to you, so please stay tuned.”
The exact nature of the bout in terms of rules for the fight were not announced during the press conference. It has been rumored it will be along the lines of an “exhibition” between Mayweather and Nasukawa.
“I think my shortest answer to that is the fact that now we are aligned to achieve something together and that is hitting a new challenge, taking a step forward to whatever wonderful thing that we can create together,” Rizin promoter Nobuyaki Sakakibara said.