Getty Mayweather - Nasukawa
Well, that didn’t take long. On New Year’s Eve in Japan at the Saitama Super Arena. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Embarrassed young Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition boxing match. It took just over two minutes for Mayweather to drop the young kickboxer three times before Nasukawa’s corner threw in the towel.
Take a look:
Floyd Mayweather just got paid millions of dollars to destroy Tenshin in less than a round. The greatest businessman in history. #Rizin14
This wasn’t even close. As expected, Mayweather, who looked like a giant in the ring with Nasukawa, imposed his will and showed superior boxing skills. Nasukawa may have landed one punch, and it had no effect on Mayweather.
On the flipside, every time Mayweather hit Nasukawa, looked as if he’d stepped on a landmine. A left hook to the body and right hand over the top sent Nasukawa sprawling into the corner on the canvas. He looked legitimately shocked as he tried to collect himself.
Moments later, Mayweather would drop him again with a right hand to the face. Still showing toughness, Nasukawa got to his feet and kept attempting to be aggressive. Another hard, whacking shot from Mayweather put him down again and his corner smartly called an end to the massacre.
This is what happens when a professional boxer takes on a smaller fighter from an entirely different discipline. It ends quickly and definitively. Mayweather never took this bout seriously. He came out dancing and laughing at his opponent from the outset.
No one told Nasukawa it wasn’t an official bout as he looked to have given it his all. He was crushed and brought to tears in the corner when the fight was stopped. It really makes you wonder what Rizin was thinking when they booked this match. The Japanese martial arts organization paid Mayweather a reported $9 million to come to Japan and beat the promotion’s brightest young star as if he’d stolen something.
Aside from the image this creates for his fans in Japan, there should be some concern over what this will do to his psyche. He came in undefeated and had never been even remotely handled in this manner. Sure, it was an exhibition, but taking hard shots to the face and being dominated physically is real.
The fight didn’t count on either man’s record. Mayweather mentioned this during his brief and gracious post-fight speech. Nasukawa can still salvage that from the experience. Mayweather reiterated, he’s still retired, and isn’t coming back to fight anyone in an official boxing match.
Prior to the bout he taunted former rival Manny Pacquiao with the same information. It’s believed Pacquiao signed with Mayweather’s manager Al Haymon and Premier Boxing Champions in an effort to secure a rematch with Money in 2019. Pacquiao is scheduled to face Adrien “The Problem” Broner on January 19. The winner would love to challenge Mayweather for a huge payday. However, if Mayweather sticks to his guns and remains retired, the winner of that fight will have to find another opponent for a follow-up bout.
It’s safe to say they’ll have a tougher time in their fights than Mayweather had with Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve.