Floyd Mayweather will take on Tenshin Nasukawa, who has a 27-0 record in kickboxing and a 4-0 record in MMA, on December 31 in Japan.
But speculation has been rife in recent weeks that the former five-time champion would take on either Conor McGregor or Manny Pacquiao once again – the 41-year-old fighter has beaten both fighters in the past there years.
“Now that I am back in the United States after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have time to talk to you, my fans and the media about the upcoming event on December 31st. recently announced.” Mayweather posted on Instagram.
“First and foremost, I want to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never approved that the fight was official with Tenshin Nasukawa. In fact [with all due respect] I never heard of him until I made the trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a 9-minute, 3-round exhibition with an opponent selected by the Rizen Fighting Federation.
“What I was originally told by Brent Johnson of “One Entertainment” was that it had to be an exhibition for a small group of rich viewers for a very big price. This exhibition was first organised to be a “special fight” strictly for entertainment purposes without the intention of being considered an official fight on a map or a fight broadcast around the world.” Mayweather continued.
Floyd Mayweather caught everyone by surprise by announcing a lucrative upcoming fight against Tenshin Nasukawa. (Source:www.bjpenn.com)
The American fighter is expected to earn a figure in the region of $88 million for next months fight and, in the process, will take his career earnings over the $1 billion mark.
“Once I arrived at the press conference, my team and I were completely bothered by the new direction this event was taking and we just had to stop it immediately.” Mayweather said.
“I sincerely wish to apologise to my fans for this misleading information that was announced during the press conference and I can confirm you that I was totally taken by surprise by the arrangements that were made without my consent and my approval.
“For the sake of the many fans and participants from all over the world who made the trip to attend the press conference, yes I was hesitant to create a certain confusion by opposing what has been said and for that I am really sorry. I am a retired boxer who has won unprecedented amounts, globally, for appearances, numerous conferences and occasional small exhibitions.” he added.
