Amid the strange – and ongoing – saga of Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition fight against Tenshin Nasukawa at RIZIN.14 on New Year’s Eve in Japan, it appears that ‘Money’ is looking to create a little clarity. The semi-retired boxing great sent a shockwave through combat sports with the initial announcement that he’d be competing in a ‘special rules’ bout in Japan. Without any further information of what those rules might be, it seemed an entirely out-of-the-blue step for Mayweather.
The fight was quickly cancelled, for reasons still somewhat unclear – a cryptic Instagram from Mayweather about “worldwide” broadcast, and fighting for a select group of “wealthy spectators” has since been deleted. And while the fight appears to be back on again, this time it’s not ‘special rules,’ but purely a boxing exhibition.
It’s a point Mayweather looks to be bringing up for any potential future MMA vs. Boxing superfight opportunities. If fighters want to call him out, they better be prepared to do it in the ring – kicks and takedowns not allowed. That includes a callout from current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, as Floyd told TMZ Sports on Thursday (transcript via MMA Fighting).
“They came to me talking about the Khabib fight,” Mayweather said. “Khabib called me out, I didn’t call Khabib out. They said it has to happen in the octagon and I said, ‘You just tell me where Khabib has made nine figures before in the octagon. If he hasn’t made nine figures, he’s not the A side. I’m the A side, so if you guys want the fight to happen, you must come my way. My way, my rules.”
“Has to [be boxing],” Mayweather concluded. “My way, my rules. I’m Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. Even if it don’t happen, I’m comfortable. I’ve got a great life. Houses all over L.A. I’m retired and I’m still living a great life.”
RIZIN.14 takes place on December 31st at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event will be headlined by the boxing exhibition between Floyd Mayweather and world champion kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. No other fights have been made official for the card as of yet.