Japan’s Rizin eyeing another Mayweather exhibition
FILE 00 Floyd Mayweather, left, of the U.S. shakes hands with Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa during a press conference in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)
MANILA, Philippines — Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Rizin are reportedly exploring another exhibition fight in Japan.
As per BoxingScene.com, several Japanese media outlets say that Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara is planning to pit Mayweather against retired Japanese boxer Takashi Uchiyama.
But as it stands, nothing concrete is in place. Although, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe did not dismiss anything as far as the initial reports are concerned.
“No comment as of yet. When and if I have something to talk about, we’ll let you know. I’m not disputing or refuting any of the reports, I want to be clear on that,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told BoxingScene.com last Monday.
“But to be honest, there is nothing to write about [yet], unless it comes from Floyd Mayweather, and that’s what it is. I can’t comment on something that didn’t come from him. When the time is right, he’ll speak on that. If there is an announcement to be made, it will come from Floyd Mayweather. Floyd will let us know, if anything happens. He’s the boss.”
Two weeks ago, the 43-year-old Mayweather has hinted at a possible return on his Instagram, posting a video of himself shadowboxing while wearing a Japanese-inspired hat and hoodie.
“Soon I’m going to hop on my jet to Tokyo, Japan for a meeting with my partners and Rizin for something this year Stay tuned,” he wrote.
In December 2018, Mayweather faced Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa in a three-round boxing exhibition in Japan that lasted for only one round with the former pound-for-pound king winning by TKO.
He reportedly earned a $9 million pay check for the one-sided fight.
If the event pushes through, the 43-year-old Mayweather should be in for another easy payday against Uchiyama, the former WBA super featherweight champion who retired in 2016.
Mayweather hasn’t officially fought since stopping former UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017 for his 50th career victory.
