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Mayweather floors Japan's Nasukawa in just two minutes

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Richard CARTER, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/tvpatrol/12/31/20181231-mayweather.jpg"/><figcaption>Floyd Mayweather beat Japanese kickboxing phenomenon Tenshin Nasukawa on Monday in the first round of a New Year&#x27;s Eve &quot;exhibition&quot; bout that brought the US boxing superstar out of retirement. <em>Issei Kato, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>TOKYO -- (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) Floyd &quot;Money&quot; Mayweather beat Japanese kickboxing phenomenon Tenshin Nasukawa by a technical knockout Monday after just two minutes of a New Year&#x27;s Eve &quot;exhibition&quot; bout that brought the US boxing superstar out of retirement for a big pay day.</p><p>In a mismatched contest, Mayweather floored Nasukawa, a kickboxer less than half his age, three times in the first round of the three-round contest before the Japanese fighter&#x27;s trainer rushed in to stop the fight.</p><p>&quot;Money&quot; Mayweather has hinted on social media he was pocketing $9 million for the fight, meaning he earned around $4.5 million per minute for the spectacle.</p><p>The American boxer at first appeared not to be taking the fight seriously, grinning at his opponent and aiming only soft punches at him.</p><p>But he then demonstrated his power, launching a series of jabs and hooks to the head of the 20-year-old Japanese fighter, sending him to the canvas after just one minute with a left hook.</p><p>Sensing his opponent was struggling, Mayweather stepped in for the kill, unleashing a flurry of punches that left Nasukawa reeling again within just two minutes of the bout and facing his second standing count after a huge right hook to the head.</p><p>With the Japanese fighter clearly battling to stay on his feet, the trainer rushed in and stopped the fight with less than one minute of the first round remaining. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/boxing/news/2018/12/31/mayweather-jr-destroys-nasukawa-exhibition-bout-51581">READ: Mayweather Jr. destroys Nasukawa in exhibition bout</a></li></ul><p>&quot;It was all about entertainment. We had fun,&quot; Mayweather said in the ring after the event.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m still retired. I don&#x27;t look forward to coming back to boxing but I did this just to entertain the fans in Japan,&quot; added the 41-year-old.</p><p>The rules were very strictly defined: three, three minute bouts and boxing only -- kickboxer Nasukawa was reportedly facing a $5 million fine if he aimed a kick at Mayweather.</p><p>There were no judges, with only a knockout or technical knockout considered a victory in the bout, promoted as a pure exhibition match.</p><p>Crucially, the match did not feature on the record of either man, allowing them both to retain a cherished unbeaten record.</p><p>&quot;This won&#x27;t go on my record. This won&#x27;t go on Tenshin&#x27;s record. Tenshin is still undefeated. I&#x27;m still undefeated. This is just entertainment for the people,&quot; he added.</p><div><strong>- $9m for 9 minutes -</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/01/01/1.jpg"/><figcaption>General view before the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Tenshin Nasukawa at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. <em>Issei Kato, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The purse for the event was not disclosed but &quot;Money&quot; hinted on Instagram that he would be making $1 million per minute.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsCGeCJBpx4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading&amp;utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_script" data-instgrm-version="10" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 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style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsCGeCJBpx4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading&amp;utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_script" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather)</a> on <time dateTime="2018-12-31T01:12:36+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Dec 30, 2018 at 5:12pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" src="http://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>&quot;What if I told you I was making $9,000,000 for nine minutes of sparring in Tokyo, Japan,&quot; he wrote on his official page. &quot;Would you do the same if you were me? I like to call it a nine-minute walk thru,&quot; the post added.</p><p>Mayweather, a legend in the boxing world, has a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts. He won world titles in five different weight divisions and was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport.</p><p>Virtually unknown outside the kickboxing ring in his own country, Nasukawa from Chiba near Tokyo also boasts an unbeaten record.</p><p>He won the world junior karate championship, made his professional kickboxing debut at the age of 16 and has a 28-0 record with 21 wins by knockout.</p><p>Promoters RIZIN have hailed him as &quot;perhaps the best combat sports prospect the country has ever seen&quot; and the 20-year-old himself had claimed he has a &quot;punch that boxers don&#x27;t have&quot;.</p><p>But he hardly penetrated Mayweather&#x27;s defences and barely made the older man break sweat.</p><div><strong>- On-off fight -</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/01/01/2.jpg"/><figcaption>Floyd Mayweather hands the trophy to Tenshin Nasukawa after the fight. <em>Issei Kato, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>This is the second time Mayweather has been coaxed out of retirement. Last year, he knocked out mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in the 10th round of a super-hyped boxing match.</p><p>There are also unconfirmed rumors Mayweather could take on reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who said last month any match-up would be &quot;twice as interesting&quot; as the McGregor fight.</p><p>Monday&#x27;s Tokyo fight was on-off from the start.</p><p>It was announced out of the blue on November 5, with Mayweather saying it had &quot;always been a goal of mine to go outside out of the US and display my talent&quot;.</p><p>However, just as abruptly as it was announced, it was called off just three days later.</p><p>Mayweather said he had been &quot;blindsided&quot; into the contest by the organisers.</p><p>But the promoter flew to the US to meet Mayweather and announced a week later that the fight was back on, saying that a &quot;misunderstanding&quot; had been resolved.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</p>

<p>Floyd "Money" Mayweather beat Japanese kickboxing phenomenon Tenshin Nasukawa by a technical knockout Monday after just two minutes of a New Year's Eve "exhibition" bout.</p>

Floyd "Money" Mayweather beat Japanese kickboxing phenomenon Tenshin Nasukawa by a technical knockout Monday after just two minutes of a New Year's Eve "exhibition" bout.

Mayweather floors Japan's Nasukawa in just two minutes

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Mayweather floors Japan's Nasukawa in just two minutes

Richard CARTER,

Agence France-Presse

Published December 31, 2018 10:40 PM PHT

|

Updated January 01, 2019 07:57 AM PHT

Read More:

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Tenshin Nasukawa

New Year's Eve

Exhibition match

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