Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather Jr. reaffirmed his intention to remain retired and shut the door on a rematch with Manny Pacquiao in the process.

Following his second-round TKO of Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition Sunday, the undefeated legend explained he was happy to walk away from the sport on his terms. He contrasted his exit with that of Pacquiao as well, arguing that "boxing retired Manny."

Floyd Mayweather confirms he absolutely will not be fighting Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition rematch: "I retired from the sport, I didn't let the sport retire me… I'm not going to take punishment to the point where I can barely walk and barely talk."

[📽️ @RIZIN_PR] pic.twitter.com/tX2dYBWmOV

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) September 25, 2022

Mayweather's last official fight was in 2017, and even that was against UFC star Conor McGregor and not a full-time boxer. He effectively closed the curtain on his career when he beat Andre Berto in September 2015.

There simply isn't a compelling reason for the 45-year-old to step back into the ring for a full-fledged comeback.

Mayweather alluded to the long-term health issues that have afflicted so many boxers before him. Why take the risk when you have nothing left to prove?

The former world champion has carved out a lucrative and less demanding path for himself, too.

"From this exhibition alone I will be making somewhere upwards of $15-20 million," Mayweather said to Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail. in reference to his exhibition with Asakura. "That's just from this exhibition. So, it's cool. Nine minutes, $20 million, not bad."

When it comes to Pacquiao, the window has probably passed for another megafight approaching the status of their 2015 encounter.

Even at the time, it felt like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would've been bigger if they had crossed paths years earlier, and the fight itself was widely considered disappointing. It didn't exactly leave fans desperately wanting more or questioning which of the two stars was superior.

In general, Mayweather has made his priorities very clear. He wants to make a lot of money without having to work all that hard. Why mess with a good thing?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. might be officially retired, but he can still win fights.

The legendary 45-year-old boxer faced 30-year-old Japanese MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in what was supposed to be a three-round exhibition boxing match on Saturday, but he needed just two rounds to win in a stoppage on the Rizin 38 card in Saitama, Japan.

A big right hand by Mayweather sent Asakura to the floor, and the referee called the match:

A right hand from Floyd just before the bell brings an end to the bout, and Asakura suffers his first KO loss ‼️

『The Battle Cats presents SUPER RIZIN』
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— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) September 25, 2022

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Mayweather earned about $20 million from the fight.

It was the fourth exhibition bout for Mayweather, who ended his professional career with a 50-0 record. His last recorded win came over Conor McGregor in 2017.

The veteran confirmed he will face YouTube star Deji Olatunji in his next bout, while he told the crowd in Japan he would return for more matches.

"I'm happy we were able to give the people excitement tonight," he said. "Thanks for having me. I'll be back."

Asakura (16-3 with one no contest) got some good punches in during each of the first two rounds before getting knocked down in the second. He also sought advice from Mayweather's rival Manny Pacquiao, who was ringside for the fight.

Pacquiao—a native of the Philippines who came to show his support for Asian combat sports—went the distance against Mayweather in a 2015 fight before losing by unanimous decision.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be back in the ring for an exhibition against MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura on Sunday in Saitama, Japan.

Because of the time difference, the pay-per-view will begin Saturday night in the United States.

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Time: 11 p.m. ET

Live Stream: FITE.tv

Fight Odds (via OddsChecker): Mayweather -700; Asakura +500

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This is Mayweather's fourth exhibition fight, and the 45-year-old isn't exactly hiding what's driving him to continue putting on the gloves.

"From this exhibition alone I will be making somewhere upwards of $15-20 million," he told Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail. "That's just from this exhibition. So, it's cool. Nine minutes, $20 million, not bad."

It's a good gig if you can get it.

Mayweather added he's "able to entertain people all over the world." This will be his second event in Saitama, and he has also hit Miami and Abu Dhabi on his post-retirement exhibition tour.

By and large, fans know what to expect from the unbeaten legend in these unofficial fights.

Mayweather wasn't the most electric pugilist in his prime. His defensive style was highly effective and served him well in multiple ways, but it was rarely thrilling to watch. Now, he's even less concerned with putting on a show.

Mayweather landed a total of 43 punches over eight rounds in his June 2021 clash with Logan Paul.

Floyd Mayweather: "I did an exhibition with the YouTuber Logan Paul. We had fun. People have gotta know, there's a difference between a real fight and an exhibition. All I did was work out from time to time. If it was a real fight, it would've been a blowout in the first round."

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) November 18, 2021

Asakura figures to be significantly overmatched as well.

The Japanese featherweight is 16-3 as a pro and 15 years Mayweather's junior. Still, boxing and MMA are two different disciplines, and there's only so much Asakura can do to bridge the gap on an opponent with so much more experience than him.

Tenshin Nasukawa learned that the hard way in December 2018. The decorated kickboxer couldn't even make it out of the first round against Mayweather. It was so one-sided that ESPN.com's Dan Rafael wrote at the time the spectacle "was downright embarrassing and at times looked almost staged."

Maybe Mayweather will be that aggressive with Asakura if he senses he can bring things to a close in a matter of minutes. But that's not the tone he struck at a press conference in June.

"We're going to treat him nice, we're going to let him go three rounds, we're going to let him try to land his shot," he told reporters.

"I may not let him land one punch, it's all up to me, it's all on what I want to do."

Fans shouldn't expect to see a three-round classic Saturday night.

Asakura will probably connect with a few good blows that aren't enough to put Mayweather on the mat. Mayweather, meanwhile, will do his part to get in some offense without tagging Asakura too much.

Especially since this is only a three-round affair, it should go the distance with Mayweather declared the victor in spirit.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. said YouTube star Jake Paul wouldn't even have a puncher's chance if he stepped in the boxing ring opposite super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez.

Paul previously stated his long-term goal is a 2024 battle with Álvarez, but Mayweather suggested in an interview with TMZ Sports on Friday the YouTuber should stay in his own lane.

"He'll get f--ked up by Canelo," Mayweather said. "There is no way. He'll get demolished. For what he's doing, as long as they keep getting YouTubers and keep putting him in there with MMA guys that's kind of over the hill, he's going continue to shine. So, I'm proud of him. I'm not really upset."

Paul has exceeded most expectations since starting his boxing career with an exhibition victory over fellow YouTube sensation Deji Olatunji in 2018.

The 25-year-old Cleveland native turned pro in 2020 and has rattled off victories over YouTuber Ali "AnEsonGib" Al-Fakri, former NBA player Nate Robinson and a pair of MMA fighters, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, who he's defeated twice to reach 5-0.

Next up is an Oct. 29 showdown with one of the greatest UFC fighters in history, Anderson Silva.

It'll be the toughest test of Paul's young career, but it still won't answer the one key question he continues to face: How would he perform against a classically trained, lifelong boxer?

That hurdle would likely need to get jumped multiple times before he comes anywhere close to stepping in the ring with Álvarez for an actual fight. An exhibition contest would be a different set of circumstances.

Mayweather is right, though. If Paul and Canelo faced off right now in an actual boxing match, it wouldn't be a fair fight. It would be a lopsided onslaught in favor of the Mexican superstar.

That's not a knock against Paul either. It's just the reality of someone with six total fights on their resume taking on one of the generation's greatest boxers.

It would be like comedian Kevin Hart, a four-time NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP, trying to beat LeBron James one-on-one. Just because you thrive in one environment doesn't mean it's possible to take down a master of the craft.

How Paul performs against Silva, who has four boxing matches under his belt, will be a fair indication of his progress and could help prove whether he's ready to face an actual boxer.

A meeting with Álvarez, who beat Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy fight last weekend, is still likely many moons away regardless of next month's result, though.

Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. told Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail on Wednesday that he was in "talks" with Conor McGregor to stage a rematch in 2023, either as a professional bout or an exhibition.

McGregor quickly responded on Instagram, writing "✌️ #notinterested" alongside a picture of him hitting Mayweather with an uppercut.

Mayweather won the first matchup between the two in 2017 by 10th-round TKO. It was McGregor's first professional boxing match after he won both the UFC's featherweight and lightweight championships.

Since fighting Mayweather, however, McGregor is just 1-3 in the Octagon, with losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier (twice).

McGregor, who has spent the past year-plus away from fighting as he recovers from a broken leg suffered against Poirier in July 2021, said in May that he plans to return to both boxing and the UFC in the future.

"Boxing is my first love in combat sports. I had such a great time the last time I was out there," he told Sky Sports at the Monaco Grand Prix. "Obviously, my return will be in the Octagon for UFC—that story is far from over. In fact it's just being written; it is just the beginning. But, boxing, for sure I will grace the squared circle again in the future."

Mayweather, meanwhile, said he would prefer to face McGregor in an exhibition fight.

He told Daly:

"I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment. So, guys like McGregor and guys that don't really hit hard such as YouTubers or UFC guys, I don't really mind colliding with those kinds of individuals but nothing where I am going to put myself in a position where I am going to harm myself or hurt myself."

That, of course, presumes the two will actually face off again. It's unclear if Mayweather was just fishing to gauge both McGregor's interest in a rematch and public intrigue in such a fight, or if McGregor was denying his interest as a publicity stunt or as a negotiation tactic.

It's boxing—most of the drama and fireworks happen before the punches are thrown. That phenomenon is tripled anytime either Mayweather or McGregor are involved. So despite McGregor's response Wednesday, don't be surprised if this story doesn't go away.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is tentatively planning for a rematch with Conor McGregor in 2023, he confirmed to Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail.

"We don't know if it's going to be an exhibition or a real fight," Mayweather said. "But there's been talks of both. I would prefer an exhibition."

The boxing legend added he's "not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment."

Left unspoken was how the 45-year-old may also want to avoid putting his unblemished 50-0 record at stake.

Since earning a TKO victory over McGregor in 2017, Mayweather has limited himself to unofficial exhibitions. He has fought Tenshin Nasukawa, Logan Paul and Don Moore, and the Michigan native will box MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura on Sunday.

McGregor, meanwhile, has seen his fortunes in the Octagon take a hit. Since fighting Mayweather, he has lost three of his last four fights in UFC. The 34-year-old has been out for more than a year since his last bout, when he suffered a broken tibia against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

Tim Simpson, McGregor's manager, told MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun and Mike Bohn in August his client's leg was "still healing," so his return to competition won't come until 2023.

An exhibition against Mayweather would allow McGregor to cash a big paycheck while putting less stress on his surgically repaired left leg.

Their full earnings were never confirmed, but Mayweather and McGregor were guaranteed a purse of $100 million and $30 million, respectively, in 2017. That didn't include their shares of the live gate and pay-per-view revenue.

For McGregor, the dilemma is probably whether he wants to commit to an event that will extend his MMA hiatus. He's fallen to 11th in the lightweight rankings, and he isn't getting any younger.

If McGregor wants to be a UFC champion again, then he may have to prioritize a return to the Octagon over a more lucrative venture with Mayweather.

Pound-for-pound boxing king Canelo Alvarez was near the beginning of his career when he suffered a loss against Floyd Mayweather Jr. But if the two of them fought while they were in their respective primes, Alvarez firmly believes he would've had the edge.

"I think it's difficult to say because that's never going to happen," Alvarez told GQ Sports (h/t Michael Benson of TalkSport). "But I am sure that in my prime he would never beat me."

Alvarez was 23 years old when he faced Mayweather in a light middleweight championship superfight at a catchweight of 152 pounds. The then-36-year-old Mayweather won the fight by majority decision to unify the WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring light middleweight titles.

The bout was dominated by Mayweather, as he outlanded Alvarez 232-117. The scorecards were heavily criticized after judge CJ Ross ruled the fight a 114-114 draw. Ross retired as a boxing judge shortly after the fight.

Alvarez sounds like he is at peace with the loss, as he knows that he wasn't at his absolute best when facing arguably the greatest boxer of his generation.

"Simply, it was down to experience. If I compare that Canelo with Canelo today, they are completely different. It’d be a completely different fight now [against Mayweather]," Alvarez said last month.

After his loss to Mayweather, Alvarez didn't take a loss in his next 16 fights and is now the undisputed champion at super middleweight. He took a split-decision draw against Gennady Golovkin in 2017, but he won the rematch a year later. Most recently, Alvarez attempted to move up and claim the WBA (Super) light heavyweight, but he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to champion Dmitry Bivol for his first defeat since that Mayweather loss in 2013.

Alvarez is set to return to action Saturday in a trilogy fight against Golovkin in which his undisputed super middleweight titles will be on the line.

The long-standing feud between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and hip hop star 50 Cent has apparently come to an end.

According to TMZ Sports, 50 Cent revealed during an appearance on The Breakfast Club that he made amends with Mayweather at a comedy show earlier this year. He said when he apologized to Mayweather, the 50-0 boxer responded, "What took you so long?"

Mayweather and 50 Cent had a close relationship up until a falling out in 2012 stemming from a money dispute. The rapper would constantly call out Mayweather over the ensuing years, including a viral video in which he challenged the former multiple-division world champion to prove he could read.

That all appears to be water under the bridge now. Their renewed friendship is also social media official, with 50 Cent posting on his Instagram that Mayweather would be attending his upcoming Tycoon Weekend comedy event.

Adrien Broner is looking to score a huge payday by challenging Floyd Mayweather Jr. to an exhibition bout.

Appearing on CIGARTALK (h/t TMZ Sports), Broner said the match would earn both fighters $100 million and laid out the reasons why.

"We can do an exhibition, 10 rounds, and the whole world is gonna watch it and we gonna get in there and go to work," he explained. "Hug and go in the back and get a bag but at the end of the day, I don't know what's his feelings."

After defeating Conor McGregor to bring his professional record to 50-0, Mayweather retired from organized boxing. He has continued to fight in exhibitions, most recently against Logan Paul in June 2021.

While no official winner was declared, Mayweather dominated the bout with a 43-28 advantage over Paul in total punches landed and a 36-21 edge in power punches.

Next up for Mayweather is an exhibition against MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in Japan in September. Full details of the fight, including length of the bout and official rules, have not yet been made public.

An exhibition vs. Broner would go against type for Mayweather since his professional retirement. Money has been going up against opponents with minimal boxing experience (Paul) or who made their name in other sports (Asakura, mixed martial arts; Tenshin Nasukawa, kickboxing).

Broner has 40 professional boxing fights on his resume and has won titles in four different weight classes. He is 34-4-1 with one no-contest in his career but has gone just 1-2-1 in his past four bouts.

The 33-year-old Broner is scheduled to challenge Omar Figueroa Jr. on Aug. 20 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

UFC president Dana White isn't buying talk of a potential boxing rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

Emma Parry of UK publication The Sun reported Tuesday that Mayweather and McGregor were "very close" to reaching an agreement to fight for a second time.

Per Parry, the bout would be contested at 155 lbs. and "personal terms" have been agreed upon, but there are still some sticking points, including the length of the fight.

When asked about the report by TMZ Sports on Tuesday, White shot it down, calling it "total bulls--t."

https://twitter.com/MMAJunkie/status/1552301028896284674

Mayweather and McGregor met in August 2017 for arguably the biggest crossover fight in combat sports history. McGregor held his own, but Mayweather ultimately won by 10th-round technical knockout, improving his career record to 50-0.

After the fight, Mayweather announced his retirement, and while he has competed in some exhibition bouts since then, he has remained true to his word by not competing in another professional fight.

White's stake in a Mayweather vs. McGregor fight relates to McGregor, who is under a UFC contract and is one of the promotion's biggest stars.

The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion has not competed inside the Octagon since UFC 264 last July, which saw him lose to Dustin Poirier by doctor stoppage after suffering a broken leg.

In March, McGregor said he was aiming for a late-summer return to the UFC and named welterweight champion Kamaru Usman as his preferred opponent.

McGregor has lost three of his past four fights and four of his past seven after previously winning 15 in a row, calling into question whether he is still a top fighter.

Regardless, McGregor remains a top draw, and while a rematch with Mayweather would undoubtedly generate huge money, White would clearly prefer for McGregor's return to occur under the UFC umbrella.