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"How they pull it off, I have no idea" - RIZIN announcer Joe Ferraro on promotion's incredible bookings with Floyd Mayweather

RIZIN announcer Joe Ferraro recently weighed in on the promotion booking Floyd Mayweather for multiple fights. Ferraro revealed that Mayweather's first booking with RIZIN against mixed martial artist Tenshin Nasukawa was kept secret by the Japanese promotion.

However, Ferraro and others working with RIZIN had an inkling of Mayweather's most recent fight against Mikuru Asakura. The announcer recently told Giancarlo Aulino in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"Well for the first time when he fought Tenshin Nasukawa, that was a shocker. I didn't see that coming. The Japanese folks, they're very reserved. They keep a lot of stuff to themselves. They'll kind of give us sort of updates but the Mayweather one, they kept it as a surprise. That was the first intentional surprise. The Asakura one, this most recent one, we kind of got a hint of it."

Although he has now called two Floyd Mayweather fights, Ferraro has no clue how RIZIN secured these bookings. However, being aware of the promotion's influence in Japan and the fact that it seemingly has no shortage of corporate funding, he added:

"So that's two feathers in my cap calling two Mayweather fights. How they pull it off, I have no idea. 'Cause you know, Floyd Mayweather doesn't come cheap. But you know, they are wondeful negotiators. Rizin has so much connection in Japan. They are the biggest organization there. Clearly there are a lot of corporate sponsors out there."

Watch Joe Ferraro's interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:


Floyd Mayweather's earnings from his outings in Japan

Floyd Mayweather hasn't competed professionally since defeating Conor McGregor in a crossover megafight in 2017. 'Money' has since dabbled in exhibition bouts, fighting internet celebrity Logan Paul and retired boxer Don Moore.

The undefeated Mayweather also ventured into Japan for the first time in 2018, taking up an exhibition bout against famed Japanese MMA fighter Tenshin Nasukawa. Mayweather reportedly earned $9 million, scoring a first-round KO win over Nasukawa.

'Money' returned to Japan earlier this year, taking on another MMA fighter in Mikuru Asakura who he defeated via second-round TKO. Mayweather reportedly received a huge base salary of $22 million for the fight alongwith 85% of the PPV earnings, amounting to $4.5 million.

Watch Mayweather KO Asakura below:

Floyd Mayweather wasted no time with a second round KO of Mikuru Asakura 💥

🎥 @rizin_English

https://t.co/Gl45hGUnKI

Mayweather's exhibition bouts in Japan are the only ones he won as he managed to knock his opponents out. 'Money' went the distance against Logan Paul and Don Moore, leading to no winners as they were exhibition fights.

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