Floyd Mayweather was back to his bullying ways in Tokyo, telling Japanese media on Saturday that he is the greatest fighter in the world.
Just a few feet away from Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather didn’t mince any words in saying that “there is only one best and that is Floyd Mayweather.”
Pacquiao was in attendance to show support to Japanese mixed martial arts expert Mikuru Asakura late Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena.
Mayweather knocked out Asakura with a right hand at the end of the second round as Pacquiao watched at ringside.
The bell to end the round sounded as Asakura hit the canvas, but it failed to save the Japanese fighter who was unable to beat the count.
Asakura gave Mayweather more of a workout than the last time the American fought an exhibition in Japan, against kickboxing prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa in December 2018.
But the fight was another easy payday for Mayweather, nicknamed “Money,” who is reportedly close to agreeing a rematch in 2023 with Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor.
Mayweather retired in 2017 with a flawless 50-0 record after beating McGregor in his final fight.
The Mayweather-Asakura bout had no judges, meaning the result would not count on the fighter’s record.
Mayweather arrived at Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo, just an hour before the fight.
He was shown on TV relaxing in a dressing room full of takeaway fast food, prior to making his ring walk.
Mayweather predicted last week that the fight would be an “easy payday, easy check, easy opponent.”
Mayweather’s retirement has not stopped him from raking in millions of dollars from a series of high-profile exhibitions.
In his 2018 match with Nasukawa, a kickboxer less than half his age, Mayweather floored him three times in the first round in a two-minute fight that he hinted online had netted him $9 million.
He recorded eight-round points wins in his other exhibitions, against YouTube star Logan Paul in June 2021 and fellow retiree “Dangerous” Don Moore in May this year.
Though he heard Mayweather loud and clear, Pacquiao refused to be drawn in a verbal tussle with his bitter rival but stressed that his winning eight world titles in as many weight classes was a “prestigious accomplishment.
In May 2015, Pacquiao dropped a unanimous decision to Mayweather in what has gone down as the richest fight in history with revenues going over $600 million.
A year ago, Pacquiao announced his retirement from the sport a month following the stunning loss to Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.
Like Mayweather, Pacquiao is also into doing exhibitions. In December, Pacquiao, 43, will face Korean YouTube personality DK Yoo in Seoul.
WITH AFP