- Title: Boxing - Mayweather to fight in Japan on New Year's Eve
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 3, 2018) (REUTERS) UNDEFEATED AMERICAN BOXER AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION FLOYD MAYWEATHER BEING INTERVIEWED MAYWEATHER WEARING SUNGLASSES (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNDEFEATED AMERICAN BOXER AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, FLOYD MAYWEATHER, SAYING: "I can wrestle, I can wrestle. A little bit. I can box a lot of bit. And we'll just see. I can do it all. I can do anything if I set my mind to it." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNDEFEATED AMERICAN BOXER AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, FLOYD MAYWEATHER, SAYING: REPORTER ASKING: "Have you discussed with RIZIN what the rule set is going to be like?" "I will speak with my team and I am pretty sure we are going to be on the same page. I mean, one thing we have to do, we have to have rules. There are rules and regulations to everything we do in life, so I am pretty sure that once I speak with the guys from my team we are going to get on the same page so we both can go out there and do what we have to do." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNDEFEATED AMERICAN BOXER AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, FLOYD MAYWEATHER, SAYING: "Everything is about timing, everything takes time, and everything is about timing. It's all about entertainment. I love to entertain, I like for people to be entertained and who don't want to be entertained. So, it is good to come over to another part of the world, have fun and enjoy myself." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNDEFEATED AMERICAN BOXER AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, FLOYD MAYWEATHER, TALKING ABOUT EXPECTED OPPONENT AT RIZIN.14 TENSHIN NASUKAWA, SAYING: "He is very fast, he's very young and I am pretty sure he wants to go out and entertain his people. I am pretty sure the crowd is going to be on his side, but I am there for a great cause. It is a special bout. Just for me to be in the ring with a young guy that is hungry... It is going to be good, very, very good and I can't wait."
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 04:14
- Keywords: boxing Japan Tenshin Nasukawa Rizin UFC Tokyo Saitama Mayweather mixed martial arts MMA
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Boxing,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00195894QN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Floyd Mayweather Jr. said he is ready for any challenge as he announced a fight to be held on New Year’s Eve in Japan without being able to specify what format or rules the fight would follow.
In a shock move, the American former world boxing champion announced on Monday (November 5) he would fight Japanese 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on the card for mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions company RIZIN Fighting Federation in Saitama on Dec. 31.
Mayweather, 41, has never fought professionally in mixed martial arts and told Reuters it was yet to be decided whether the fight would be a pure boxing bout, MMA or some other mixture of martial arts.
"I will speak with my team and I am pretty sure we are going to be on the same page," Mayweather told Reuters in Tokyo on Saturday (November 3) when pressed on the fight rules.
Mayweather, who has held multiple boxing world titles in five different weight categories and remains undefeated in his career, is confident he will come out on top. His last fight was in the boxing ring in 2017, winning by a technical knockout over MMA world champion Conor McGregor to extend his boxing record to 50-0.
Nasukawa is contracted to RIZIN and competes in their championships in both MMA and pure kickboxing. He has won all four of his MMA fights. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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