Things are heating up between Floyd Mayweather and Mikuru Asakura.
The two fighters had a tense staredown following a press conference on Tuesday in Hawaii promoting their upcoming boxing exhibition bout. Mayweather and Asakura are scheduled to clash at Rizin 38 on Sept. 25 in Japan.
During their staredown, both fighters got up close and personal, and Mayweather’s bodyguard shoved Asakura after the Japanese star got too close to the former boxing champion.
You can watch their staredown in the video above.
This exhibition bout will be the third such contest for Mayweather following his last professional bout which took place in 2017 against former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Mayweather’s first foray into exhibition bouts at the conclusion of his pro career came in 2018 against Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa, which took place at Rizin 14. Mayweather knocked Nasukawa down three times in the opening round, prompting his opponent’s corner to throw in the towel.
Mayweather’s second exhibition bout came against YouTuber Logan Paul last June. The fight would see the final bell after eight rounds, although no winner was announced. The most recent exhibition bout took place against former training partner Don Moore in May.
Mayweather was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this past June, an accomplishment that brought the undefeated professional boxer with 50 wins to tears during his speech.
Asakura (16-3 MMA) has fought under the Rizin banner for his 12 previous professional bouts. The 29-year-old featherweight has not competed in 2022, although he competed three times in 2021, winning the two most recent bouts by defeating Kyohei Hagiwara and Yutaka Saito by unanimous decision. Asakura has eight knockouts in his pro career, with his most recent finish coming against Satoshi Yamasu in the first round.
