Fans have mocked 50-0 boxing legend Floyd Mayweather for his latest fight announcement after he confirmed that he will face MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura.
The former fighter was inducted in the boxing hall of fame last weekend, and has since confirmed that he will be competing in his fourth major exhibition bout this September in Japan. It follows a Dubai meeting with Don Moore last month and an outlandish bout against YouTuber Logan Paul in June of 2021, with his first coming in Japan against Tenshin Nasukawa.
Asakura is one of the most famous MMA fighters in Japan, but has never boxed at any serious level, while Mayweather is arguably the greatest to ever compete in the sport. He has a 16-3 record, which includes eight knockouts, but most of those have come with the help of his devastating kicks, which won't be legal in the exhibition.
And fans have taken to Twitter to question how Mayweather is still making major money for these exhibitions, with one saying "What’s the point of this? Money I guess?" Another asked "Does anyone still care at this point?"
Despite the fact that Mayweather appears to be still very well off after making hundreds of millions during his storied career, some fans still theorised he is "broke". But others disputed this claim by indicating that he is likely making major money for these exhibitions and just can't turn them down.
He was said to have made in the region of $100million for his bout with Logan Paul, which had over 1m pay-per-view buys, and around $10m for Nasukawa and Moore. These fights are done under exhibition rules where no winner is declared if they go the distance, and the results aren't added to Mayweather's 50-0 record.
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“The name of the game is to hit and not get hit," Mayweather said at a press conference to announce the fight. "The less you’re hit, the longer you last. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I need this to make smart investments and take care of my family.
“But it’s exhibition. I’ve heard it so many times. ‘I’m going to beat Floyd, I’m going to beat Floyd.’ Well we can go out there and he can do good for all three rounds, I’ll still be 50-0, because it don’t count.”
He brutalised Nasukawa within minutes of his first exhibition back in December 2018, but was unable to get rid of the much heavier Paul in his next one. He dominated former sparring partner Moore last month, but was toying with his opponent throughout the event and treated it as a comical showcase instead of a competitive situation.
A September date and venue will be confirmed in due course for Mayweather's return to Japan, with Rizin set to be involved in the promotion.
