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      Floyd Mayweather, 45, ‘gearing up to start camp’ for next exhibition fight on September 25 against ‘dangerous’ MMA star

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      FLOYD MAYWEATHER is “gearing up to start camp” for his next exhibition fight. The boxing legend announced he will face Japanese MMA star Mikuru Asakura on September 25 in Tokyo.
      Floyd Mayweather training for his next exhibition
      Floyd Mayweather is set to face Mikuru Asakura on September 25 in JapanCredit: Getty
      And Mayweather appears ready to start preparations after his coach Gerald Tucker uploaded a video of the American doing sit ups.
      Tucker posted: “Working out is a lifestyle for us; so we don’t have to be around each other in order to get it in. We’re both there spiritually!!
      “@floydmayweather is gearing up to start camp in a couple weeks to get ready for an exciting exhibition on Sept. 25TH in Japan vs their biggest and most popular MMA fighter who’s a very sharp and dangerous striker.”
      Asakura, 30, has 16 wins and just three losses in his MMA career, with eight knockouts.
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      His background is in karate and he most recently beat Yutaka Saito, 34, on points in December.
      Whereas Mayweather, 45, has boxed in three exhibitions since retiring in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 34.
      They came against featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 23, YouTuber Logan Paul, 27, and ex-sparring partner Don Moore.
      And the newly-inducted Hall of Famer recently opened the door to coming back and putting his illustrious 50-0 record on the line.
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      He told FightHype: “I got three more exhibitions this year, could be one fight and two exhibitions.
      “But guess what, you better know it’s at least and this is the lowest I’m talking about $200million.”
      It comes amid rumours Mayweather is currently negotiating a rematch with McGregor.
      Floyd Mayweather is in rumoured talks to rematch Conor McGregorCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      UFC champ Kamaru Usman prefers to ‘gamble’ with £83m boxing switch against Canelo Alvarez instead of Jake Paul

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      UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman admits he’d prefer to “gamble” in the boxing ring with Canelo Alvarez than Jake Paul.The UFC’s pound-for-pound king has been calling for a clash with undisputed super-middleweight king Canelo for close to a year but has yet to seriously get the Mexican’s attention.
      UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to test himself in the boxing ringCredit: GETTY
      Usman is eager to test himself against former pound-for-pound king CaneloCredit: GETTY
      The prospect of facing YouTuber Jake Paul doesn’t interest The Nigerian NightmareCredit: AFP
      Usman, however, has also been subjected to multiple taunts from YouTuber turned boxer Paul during that time – although the social media star has done little to entice The Nigerian Nightmare to fight him.
      During an appearance on The Athlete Podcast, Usman said: “Me fighting Jake Paul, I’m helping him.
      “I beat Jake Paul, nobody cares. You’re supposed to beat him. I still get a bank account now, I still get that.
      “I beat Canelo, biggest athlete in the world, not even close, 100 million in the bank. If I’m gonna gamble, I’m gonna gamble well.”
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      Former Disney star Paul has made serious waves in the boxing world since making his pro debut in January 2020.
      The Problem Child brutally knocked out former UFC 170lb champ Tyron Woodley – who Usman dethroned in March 2019 – in the sixth round of their rematch last December.
      Usman said of the YouTuber: “Absolutely [fighting Jake Paul is a risk]. Listen, me and him get in a scrap right now, he could touch me.
      “I’m not naive or ignorant enough to think – let them put it on the news. I’m a realist.
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      “I know I’m gonna dog walk him, but at the same time, everyone has a puncher’s chance.”
      Usman’s eagerness to test himself against Canelo stems from his desire to become “the face of fight game”.
      The UFC star recently told SunSport said: “Obviously, the bigger the dream, the bigger the manifestation.
      “And the more it scares me, the more I’m willing to prepare and go through [hell] to achieve it.
      “It’s no surprise. Canelo is a tall glass for anybody – a tall pint.
      Fighting Canelo scares and excites Kamaru UsmanCredit: AFP
      “And it scares me, it scares me to death. But the real reason [I want the fight] is: I wanted to be welterweight champion, I got it.
      “I wanted to be pound-for-pound, I got it.
      “I always thought this phrase was special, and the phrase that I’m after now is: ‘The Face of the Fight Game’.
      “And Canelo, right now, can’t say [he’s the face of the fight game].
      “Yeah, he’s the face of boxing, but he can’t say he’s the face of the fight game.
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      “And I can’t claim to that as well. So, there’s only one way for me to stake claim to that.
      “And that’s taking on something that seems astronomically impossible to everyone, except myself.”
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      Logan Paul says Tommy Fury ‘made the right decision’ to pull out against brother Jake and avoid embarrassing KO loss

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      LOGAN PAUL said Tommy Fury “made the right decision” not to fight his brother Jake and avoid a potentially embarrassing knockout loss.Fury has twice withdrawn from facing Jake, firstly after suffering a broken rib in training and most recently amid a US visa issue.
      Jake Paul pictured with older brother LoganCredit: Amanda Westcott
      Tommy Fury has twice pulled out of fighting Jake PaulCredit: PA
      But the Paul brothers cast doubt over the fight cancellations while discussing it on the Impaulsive podcast.
      Logan, 27, said: “I told you, and I told you so, before you took the fight with Tommy, I recognise flake behaviour.
      “And the first time he pulled out from your guys’ fight, that to me smelt like flake behaviour, not like on some serious s***.
      “And the second time when you said you wanted to fight him, I like it, I like the fight, but the man just doesn’t have it in him.
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      “He doesn’t have that fire that his older brother has.”
      Jake, 25, responded: “I think it hits him when the pressure starts to build and the fight’s actually confirmed, then he’s like, ‘Wow, I have to go up against this kid’.
      “And he’s fought all easy people that are put in there to lose. So when there’s a real killer against you, I think that pressure sets in.”
      Logan said: “Regardless of whether or not it’s an excuse, and the fact that it did happen and it’s extremely embarrassing and he is kind of tainting the Fury name, I think he made the right decision.
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      “Because, he can pull out and everyone can tell him he’s scared and, ‘You’re a p****, you’re living in your brother’s shadow’. Whatever.
      “But that’s not as bad as being cold-clocked, knocked out on the canvas by you. Think about that.
      “That lasts forever, dude. This is just going to be a window of time, for like a year people are going to be like, ‘Tommy, you backed out’ or whatever.”
      Jake added: “It’s bad for him, man. He’s a clown, but it is smart, if we would fight, he’d be knocked out.”
      Fury’s first withdrawal came last December, leaving Paul to KO Tyron Woodley, 40, in a rematch having beaten him on points four months prior.
      It added to wins over YouTuber “AnEsonGib”, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 38.
      Fury, 23, was due to be Paul’s first opponent with a recognised boxing record until their latest grudge match axe.
      Hasim Rahman Jr, 31, was drafted in as a replacement to fight on August 6 at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
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      But a weight disagreement between the two forced the event to be scrapped on just one week notice.
      As revealed by SunSport, Paul is now eyeing a boxing return in October.
      Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr before their fight cancelationCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      ‘I would love to’ – Jake Paul called out to fight by Tito Ortiz but UFC legend admits he is an ‘AMATEUR’ in boxing

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      TITO ORTIZ is open to a fight against Jake Paul – but the UFC legend admitted he is an “AMATEUR” when it comes to boxing. Ortiz held the UFC light-heavyweight title from 2000-2003 and most recently fought in MMA against ex-WWE star Alberto Del Rio in 2019.
      Tito Ortiz was beaten by Anderson Silva in September 2021Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Jake Paul was called out by Tito OrtizCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      But the American, 47, made a shock switch to the ring last September, losing to MMA great Anderson Silva, also 47.
      It leaves Ortiz winless in the ring but still refusing to rule out a bout with YouTuber-turned prizefighter Paul, 25.
      He said on Chris Van Villet’s podcast: “I would love to. That’d be amazing.
      “That would be fun. Once again, I have an 0-1 record, he has a [5-0] record. I still feel like I’m an amateur in boxing.
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      “I do a lot in mixed martial arts, but I still feel myself as an amateur but I’m competitive. I’m very competitive.”
      Ortiz is yet to return since his first-round knockout loss to Silva.
      Whereas Paul most recently knocked out Tyron Woodley, 40, last December, four months after beating the ex-UFC champ on points.
      He also has KOs over online rival “AnEsonGib”, ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 38.
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      Paul was set to face Hasim Rahman Jr, 31, in his comeback fight on August 6 at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
      But a weight disagreement between the two forced the entire MSG event to be cancelled only a week out.
      As revealed by SunSport, Paul is now eyeing a return in October for his sixth professional bout.
      Rahman was due to be his first opponent with a recognised boxing record after Tommy Fury, 23, twice pulled out, with injury and a visa issue.
      Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr before their fight cancelationCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      ‘He would never have to fight again’ – Floyd Mayweather slammed by Adrien Broner for not agreeing $200m exhibition

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      ADRIEN BRONER has hit out at his former mentor Floyd Mayweather for failing to agree a $200million exhibition bout with him. Mayweather has boxed in three exhibitions since retiring in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
      Adrien Broner hit out at Floyd Mayweather for failing to agree an exhibitionCredit: Amanda Westcott
      Floyd Mayweather has had three exhibitions since retiringCredit: Reuters
      They came against featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, YouTuber Logan Paul and ex-sparring partner Don Moore.
      But Broner – who once looked up to Mayweather – slammed the boxing legend for not picking him to fight.
      He said on Cigar Talk: “If I was Floyd and he was me, he would never have to fight again.
      “That exhibition s***, as me being his lil brother, ‘Hey lil bro, we fixing to do ten rounds, and we both going to get 100+ million for it, and we ain’t never got to box again’.
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      “Well I already been getting these bags, but now it’s time for you to get your just due.
      “That would have been done. That would have been done.”
      Broner, 33, has been out of the ring for over a year but returns on August 27 against Omar Figueroa Jr, 32.
      Mayweather, 45, also recently announced that he will return in September back in Japan, against MMA star Mikuru Asakura, 29.
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      He first faced Japan’s Nasukawa, 23, in Tokyo 2018 before a return against YouTuber Logan Paul, 27, in June 2021.
      Mayweather was in May then due to box Moore in Dubai until the death of 73-year-old UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
      It delayed the fight by a week, later taking place in Abu Dhabi in May, where Moore was dominated over eight rounds.
      Floyd Mayweather is set to face MMA star Mikuru Asakura in SeptemberCredit: Getty More

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      ‘He got his ass kicked ‘ – Floyd Mayweather got ‘BEAT UP’ by Conor McGregor, says ex-UFC star amid talk of rematch

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      FLOYD MAYWEATHER “got his ass kicked” and was “BEAT UP” by Conor McGregor, claimed the outspoken Chael Sonnen. McGregor was beaten by the American boxing legend in 2017 after ten rounds in Las Vegas.
      Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: USA Today Sports
      Chael Sonnen said Floyd Mayweather got ‘BEAT UP’ by Conor McGregor
      But the Irish UFC superstar did win some of the early stages, before tiring down the stretch and being stopped on his feet.
      Sonnen, an ex-UFC title challenger-turned analyst, was referencing Nate Diaz’s odd on beating rising contender Khamzat Chimaev.
      And in doing so he made an outlandish claim about McGregor’s performance in his boxing debut against Mayweather.
      Sonnen said on his YouTube channel: “12-to-1 underdog.
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      “That line is not going to hold, I’m telling you right now, but [Diaz] is a 12-to-1 underdog.
      “Diaz was an 8-1 underdog. Now 11-to-1 is what Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather was.
      “It closed to 8.5, but Conor was an 11-to-1 dog, went out, and beat up a guy for 30 minutes. [Mayweather] lost four of nine completed rounds.
      “He got his ass kicked regardless of what the crooks in the Nevada State Athletic Commission told you that night.”
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      Mayweather, 45, announced his official retirement after beating McGregor, 34, but he has boxed in three exhibition bouts since.
      The first was against featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 23, in 2018 before a return against YouTuber Logan Paul, 27, in June 2021.
      Mayweather was in May then due to box Don Moore in Dubai until the death of 73-year-old UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
      It delayed the fight by a week, later taking place in Abu Dhabi, where Moore was dominated over eight rounds.
      The unbeaten Hall of Famer has since announced he will return in September back in Japan, against MMA star Mikuru Asakura, 29.
      But FightHype, a media company Mayweather famously favours, reported a rematch with McGregor was in the negotiation stage.
      Floyd Mayweather is set to face MMA star Mikuru Asakura in SeptemberCredit: Getty More

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      Conor McGregor was AHEAD after four rounds into Floyd Mayweather fight, says Atlas as he breaks down UFC star’s display

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      CONOR McGREGOR was leading against Floyd Mayweather after four rounds, boxing trainer Teddy Atlas said. MMA superstar McGregor crossed codes in August 2017 as he made a professional ring debut, beaten in ten rounds by former pound-for-pound king Mayweather.
      Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: Getty – Contributor
      But the Irishman, who was the UFC lightweight champion at the time, got off to a quick start.
      So much so that Atlas – working as a pundit for the fight – had him up at the half-way point – until Mayweather caught up to him.
      He said in an interview with The Schmo last year: “To the credit of McGregor, he was ahead.
      “I know you guys are going to probably choke on your pecan pie that you’re having right now but he was ahead after four rounds.
      “I was there for ESPN calling the fights, and I was there with the great Chael Sonnen sitting ringside and after four rounds he was ahead
      “He being McGregor – and there’s a reason for it: because he was using his reach.
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      “He’s a southpaw, he’s got long arms, he’s a counter puncher and he was staying outside with the counter punching, using his reach, using his jab.
      “Four rounds, he was ahead. But then, of course, Mayweather did what he had to do in his realm to break him down, and he did, and he got to him.
      “But the point I’m making is, styles make fights.”
      Despite Atlas’ claim, only one of the three judges agreed with him, as the other two had Mayweather, 45, leading three rounds to one after four.
      McGregor, 34, was given special permission by the UFC to go out of his contract and fight the boxing legend.
      Four rounds, he was ahead. But then, of course, Mayweather did what he had to do in his realm to break him down, and he did, and he got to him.Teddy Atlas on Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather
      Several other UFC stars have since flirted with the idea of lacing up the gloves, most recently welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, 35.
      Usman has called out boxing’s pound-for-pound best Canelo Alvarez, 32, in the past, but Atlas has warned him against the switch of codes.
      He said: “He’s got physicality, he’s very strong, he’s a decent puncher and he’s not a bad striker – although I think a lot of his strengths are on the mat with his knowledge there and his physicality.
      “You throw him in there with a B-level guy or even a good journeyman guy, no.
      “I don’t want to upset anyone with the fans out there, but as long as the rules are strictly boxing, no he wouldn’t be able to have tremendous success there.”
      Boxing trainer and pundit Teddy AtlasCredit: Getty
      UFC welterweight champion Kamaru UsmanCredit: Getty More

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      Mike Tyson was challenged to a DEATHMATCH by UFC star Royce Gracie but refused as ‘there was no way I’d win’

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      UFC icon Royce Gracie challenged Mike Tyson to a ‘no-holds-barred’ fight ‘to the finish’, a memoir revealed.The boxing legend tore apart the heavyweight division in the late 1980s before a rape conviction, along with excessive partying and further personal life problems, rocked his career.
      Brazilian MMA star Royce Gracie (right) was a pioneer of UFCCredit: Getty
      Mike Tyson was challenged to a huge match-up by the UFC legendCredit: instagram.com/miketyson
      While Iron Mike was preparing his comeback to the ring, the MMA promotion UFC was founded and Brazilian fighter Gracie, now 55, won three fights on its first night in late 1993.
      And his desire to be seen as the top fighter on Earth led to a stunning challenge for the Baddest Man on the Planet.
      In a memoir by sports writer Fiaz Rafiq last year,’ To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment’, it was revealed: “[Tyson] was challenged by the Gracie Brothers, in particular Royce, back in the early 1990s.
      “The UFC champion’s perception was that Tyson was the best boxer in the world, but he refused to accept that Tyson was the best ‘fighter’.
      “The Gracies had a point. They had been beating all-comers from various styles long before the Octagon was first engineered.
      “And Royce wasn’t going to rest until he did everything within his means to provoke the heavyweight champion into accepting a real fight in a no-holds-barred setting.
      “To settle the matter once and for all, Royce formally challenged the most feared boxer of our time to a fight to the finish, and so did his elder brother Rickson.”
      Gracie felt that Tyson, 56, was beatable despite his huge frame and ferocity – yet the proposition was declined with Iron Mike feeling there was ‘no way he’d win’.
      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment is out May 3
      Rafiq wrote: “For Royce, any fight was a matter of who could implement their own strategy, and much of the Gracie style was developed to avoid even the chance of their opponent landing a lucky punch.
      “What Royce lacked in brute force, he clearly made up for in technical skill, as his opponents – including a professional boxer – quickly discovered.
      “‘There’s only one way to find out,’ he told me, as a smirk crept across his face followed by loud laughter. Sadly for posterity, Tyson declined.”
      In fact, Gracie came back a few years later with a fresh proposal, which was dismissed by a boxing world that is now clamouring for YouTube brawlers such as Jake Paul and crossover events like Conor McGregor’s match with Floyd Mayweather.
      Rafiq continued: “In Iron Mike’s case, one rejection wasn’t enough for Royce.
      “In 1997 the Gracie’s challenge made the headlines again, after the publication of a one-page advert in Men’s Health in America, in which the UFC champion once again challenged the former heavyweight boxer ‘officially’. Anywhere, anytime, no rules!
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      “Years later I asked Royce about the famous challenge, and discovered that the heavyweight had been, at least in theory, willing to put up.
      “‘I heard that my brother tried to bring him in [to the UFC],’ Royce explained. ‘He had accepted but people around him – the lawyers, managers, and the Commission – said no way, because boxing had too much to lose.
      “But he had accepted and he wanted to do it. I talked to him before and he’s like, ‘I’d love to try this stuff out, man’.
      “But people around him did not allow him to do it. If he lost a fight, if it happened, well, boxing was already in the decline in America so it wouldn’t be good for boxing’.”
      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment by Fiaz Rafiq is published by Pitch Publishing, released May 3 and priced at £20 in hardback or £9.99. Ebook available in bookstores and following this Amazon link.
      Mike Tyson reveals what it takes to be part of his entourage and will include anyone who has a purpose in life More