By Allan Fox: Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight his next exhibition match against an MMA fighter named Mikuru Asakura at 11 pm ET. Mayweather, 45, announced that his exhibition match will be live on FITE against Asakura, 29, who lives in Tokyo, Japan.
The event is scheduled to start at 11 pm ET | 3am GMT | 1:00 p.m.
Mayweather is making a quick comeback after recently fighting one of his former sparring partners named Don Moore.
Boxing fans would like to see Floyd fight an exhibition match against the recently retired Manny Pacquiao, but he chose not to go in that direction for obvious reasons.
Pacquiao would likely make the job easier for the 45-year-old Mayweather, who has lost a lot in his game since retiring from the sport in 2017.
It’s unclear how much longer Mayweather will continue to do exhibition matches, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he still does them in his 50s and 60s, as long as his fans are willing to buy them.
“I’m pretty sure in September we’ll give people what they want to see,” Floyd Mayweather Jr. said in announcing his upcoming exhibition match against little-known Mikuru Asakura.
“People still want to see me compete, not at the highest level, but they still want Floyd Mayweather to entertain them. They want to see a young guy in front of me to see if he can say, ‘Mayweather doesn’t need to put on any more displays.’
“Doing exhibitions keeps my body in shape. I can exercise, and it is very important. Even doing these displays, I still don’t get any punishment.
“I did one in Japan before and had fun. We went back and did one with Logan Paul. I can’t even call that an exhibition. I came to entertain and he came to endure.
“It’s crazy that Logan Paul wants to do an exhibition again. He’s the same guy he said he didn’t get paid for. I am happy to return to Japan. I have been to Japan so many times. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
“I said I can drag it out like the Logan Paul fight if you want me to. I can click him and catch his early winds. I’m pretty sure he [Asakura] he believes in his abilities, but he must realize that no fighter he has been in the ring with [octagon] It’s Floyd Mayweather.
“When you see all these other fighters, they are just fighters. Remember, I’m Floyd Mayweather,” Mayweather said.
