To venture into the unknown against Tenshin Nasukawa is one of the biggest risks to date of Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather's road to boxing greatness has been carefully prepared without taking unnecessary risks, but the decision to fight for a Japanese mixed martial arts organization later this month could be his biggest gamble.

Mayweather's last fight was a complete boxing victory against Irish MMA star Conor McGregor in August 2017, but the American was back in the limelight on Monday when he agreed to overtake the bill for the next card. the Rizin Fighting Federation.

His opponent, the young Japanese boxer Tenshin Nasukawa, has been undefeated for four MMA fights, although Mayweather and Rizin revealed that the exact rules of Saitama's December 31 showdown are still under negotiation.

If Mayweather, one of the greatest fighters ever to have fought in a boxing ring, decides to try something new, he will need protection from the most extreme elements fighting in a cage to have any impact.

Though 41, his hands still have a powerful punch, but the addition of elbows, knees, kicks and MMA shots is a huge challenge for a boxer who has an unblemished record of 50-0 since 1996.

Throughout his professional career, the American was renowned for his defensive skills, precise footwork and elusive head movement making him one of the toughest goals to conquer, even for the best in the world. .

But as indicated by his nickname "Money" and his activity on social networks illustrating his love for an opulent lifestyle, his career has ceased to be entirely belt and title oriented.

He is a self-fabricating machine and his innovative fight against UFC's two-man champion, McGregor, also exemplifies a creative approach to maximizing his value.

Mayweather now seems to have avoided a lucrative revenge against Manny Pacquiao, his long-time Filipino rival, in favor of a play intended for a motley audience of MMA, many of whom had dropped out of boxing for more visceral thrills of the game. ;octagon.

His fight against McGregor in Las Vegas turned into a full media circus and his TKO (10th round) gave fans the value of their money, at least on the surface.

A talented but limited amateur, McGregor had no deal with a boxer of the Mayweather caliber, and his flaws were quickly revealed. When the American raised the temperature at the end of the fight, the keen Irishman did not react.

In the cage, the story would have been very different.

There are six different punches in boxing and if McGregor had been able to use a killer arsenal of kicks and elbows and his wrestling skills, the result would probably have been a quick and painful defeat for Mayweather.

The boxer arrives at Rizin without speaking about his past and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the martial art that forms the backbone of the exchanges between MMA, can not be perfected quickly.

A black belt in the sport can take 10 years or more to acquire.

The possible transformation of Mayweather into a hunter of cages will offer a fascinating spectacle. The tantalizing prospect of a possible second meeting with McGregor, this time in octagon, would provoke a frenzy.

However, if such a competition occurs, the sporting event itself would have little chance to match the hype likely to precede it.

Mayweather has tremendous financial power and it has almost become a ritual for fighters seeking a record paycheck and media coverage to call him, as has the champion of the lightweights in the world. UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov, after sending McGregor last month.

It's maybe just that he's trying to maintain the cross-audience he's created with McGregor and that Rizin's fight will simply be boxing in a cage rather than on a ring.

But as for all that happens in modern combat sports, the money – and in this case the "money" Mayweather – will eventually set the tone.

Reuters

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