Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa: What happened in the legendary boxer's last fight?
Floyd Mayweather's defensive boxing and counter punching have been his most lethal weapons and the undefeated fighter seamlessly displayed his striking caliber when he fought kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018.
The fight was held at the Saitama Prefecture Super Arena in Japan and was slated to be a 3-round exhibition match.
Right from the get-go, 'Money' Mayweather started putting a beatdown on Tenshin Nasukawa. After three knockdowns in the very first round, Nasukawa's corner threw in the towel and the referee stopped the fight. Mayweather was declared the winner and a sobbing Nasukawa went back to his dressing room.
The exhibition bout was criticised for being a farce by many in the fight world. British pro-boxer Amir Khan even labeled the event as a "joke fight". In his post-fight salutation inside the ring, Mayweather mentioned that the fight was "about entertainment" and having "fun".
The 41-year-old also consoled Nasukawa and told him that this loss won't blemish his record.
“This don’t go on my record, this don’t go on Tenshin’s record, Tenshin is still undefeated, I’m still undefeated, I’m still retired... I did this just to entertain the fans in Japan. They wanted this to happen over here in Japan, so I said, ‘Why not?'”
Tenshin Nasukawa boasts an undefeated kickboxing and MMA record. The Japanese fighter is a former Rizin bantamweight champion. Nasukawa has no pro-boxing matches on his record, unlike Mayweather who has fought professionally 50 times.
What are Floyd Mayweather's plans in 2021?
Floyd Mayweather received a hefty paycheck of $9 million for the 150 seconds against Tenshin Nasukawa. Following this successful venture, it looks like 'Money' may fight in Japan in 2021 as well. The retired boxer recently laid out his future plans on Instagram.
It is clear that Youtubers-turned-boxers Logan Paul and his younger brother Jake Paul are on Floyd Mayweather's radar as potential opponents. Paul vs Mayweather was announced in December last year but was postponed due to failed contract negotiations.
However, Floyd Mayweather has assured fans in a recent post that he will fight the Paul brothers and maybe even trade blows with rapper 50 Cent. Mayweather also expressed interest in a potential exhibition bout in Tokyo.