Mayweather denies he agreed to fight Japanese kickboxer

Floyd Mayweather said on Wednesday he never agreed to come out of retirement to fight a Japanese kickboxer on New Year's Eve and was blindsided when the event was announced this week at a news conference he attended in Tokyo.

 

 

 

 

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Now that I am back on U.S. soil after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have the time to address you, my fans and the media in regard to the upcoming event on December 31st that was recently announced. First and foremost, I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa. In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a 9 minute exhibition of 3 rounds with an opponent selected by the "Rizen Fighting Federation". What I was originally informed of by Brent Johnson of "One Entertainment" was that this was to be an exhibition put on for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee. This exhibition was previously arranged as a "Special Bout" purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide. Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately. I want to sincerely apologize to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval. For the sake of the several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend this past press conference, I was hesitant to create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said and for that I am truly sorry. I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions.

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Nov 7, 2018 at 10:53am PST

Mayweather said on his Instagram account that he only agreed to a three-round exhibition in front of a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee with no intention of it being represented as an official fight card or televised worldwide.

"Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately," wrote Mayweather.

"I want to sincerely apologize to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval."

Mayweather, 41, said he was hesitant to create a disturbance at the news conference by combating what was said for the sake of what he described as several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend the event.

The man known as "Money" Mayweather, who retired in 2017 with a 50-0 record over an unparalleled boxing career during which he won world titles in five different weight classes, also said he has no plans to put his unblemished mark on the line.

"I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions," wrote Mayweather.

At the news conference, it was announced Mayweather would top the bill at Japanese mixed martial arts promotion Rizin Fighting Federation's next card on Dec. 31 against a Japanese kickboxer with the rules yet to be determined.

Mayweather's opponent was introduced as Tenshin Nasukawa -- a 20-year-old who competes in both MMA and kickboxing and has won all four of his cage fights.

"I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa," wrote Mayweather. "In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan."

Rizin did not immediately reply when asked for comment. — Reuters