Floyd Mayweather is 45 years old. He could probably do this when he’s 75.
The undefeated Hall of Famer knocked out Mikuru Asakura in the second round of a scheduled three-round exhibition on the Rizin 38 card in Saitama, Japan.
The 30-year-old Japanese mixed martial artist was ready and had his moments, landing some eye-catching punches.
However, no MMA fighter has the boxing skills to compete on an even level with one of the greatest practitioners of the sweet science, even one in their 40s.
floyd mayweather knocks out asakura in the last second of round 2 #superRIZIN pic.twitter.com/WZIB6NdwFa
— ᴊᴀᴋᴇ (@jakeshredz420) September 25, 2022
And that is by design. Mayweather has said that he doesn’t want to trade blows with anyone who has a good chance of hurting him. Asakura couldn’t.
The first round was uneventful, as both fighters regularly stuck out their front hands to find their range and landed power shots only here and there, mostly to the body.
However, they picked up their pace in Round 2. Mayweather, still quick, still smart, began landing right hands to Asakura’s head and added more body shots.
Asakura had a hard time hitting the big defensive fighter, but landed a few punches that snapped Mayweather’s head back, which was an unusual sight. His problem was that he was getting the worst of the exchanges.
Finally, after a series of accurate shots to the head laid the groundwork, Mayweather landed another right hand that put Asakura flat on his back and hurt him.
He got to his knees, where referee Kenny Bayless took a good look at him and decided he was in no condition to continue.
Could this version of Mayweather beat a top welterweight contender? Probably not at this point. However, he will continue to dominate the fighters he has been messing with in exhibitions, YouTubers, MMA fighters and non-active boxers.
In fact, Asakura, an MMA star, didn’t stand a chance.
Mayweather cashed in another big payday and seemed to enjoy himself, politely expressing his gratitude to the Japanese crowd afterward.
“I’m happy that I was able to give people a thrill tonight,” he said. “Thanks for having me. I’ll be right back.”
The question is against whom?
It is perhaps no coincidence that Mayweather’s rival, Manny Pacquiao, was invited by the show’s organizers and spoke in the ring before and after the main event.
Could they be putting on a Mayweather-Pacquiao display? Perhaps Pacquiao, 43, provided a clue.
“Hopefully,” he said, “this is not the last time you’ll see me.”
Yes, it is almost certain that we will see more legendary boxers.
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Photos: Floyd Mayweather knocks out Mikuru Asakura on display
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