Mayweather faces Asakura in Japan; Stevenson beats Conceicao
TOKYO:THE undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr says Japanese fans will be able to “see a glimpse of the old prety boy” when he fights the Manny Pacquiao-trained Mikuru Asakura in a three-round exhibition on Sunday.
The 45-year-old Mayweather told reporters on Saturday he is in good condition for the bout with 30-year-old Asakura, a mixed martial artist specialist who is making his boxing debut at the Saitama Super Arena north of Tokyo.
There are no weight restrictions for the bout. “It’s all about having fun,” said Mayweather, who has a perfect 50-0 record.
His long-time Filipino rival Pacquiao, a champion in eight weight divisions, also appeared at Saturday’s press conference.
Asakura, who usually weighs about 165 pounds, is more Mayweather’s size than the last opponent the American great met in Japan three years ago.
Mayweather floored kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, a bantamweight who fights at around 120 pounds, three times as he scored a first-round win in another exhibition bout.
“I don’t care if my face gets punched out,” Asakura said Friday. “I think he underestimates me so please tell him it’s not going to be as easy as he thinks.”
Mayweather said he doesn’t need money and is doing exhibitions to travel and meet new people.
Ringside seats are going for as much as 1 million yen ($7,000) and the event has several pay-per-view deals.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Shakur Stevenson said goodbye to the super featherweight division Friday with a unanimous decision victory over Robson Conceicao in New Jersey.
The 25-year-old won’t depart the division as a champion, having surrendered his WBC and WBO world titles on the scale on Thursday when he failed to make weight for the bout in his home town of Newark.
But he ended the week on a high, knocking the Brazilian down in the fourth round on the way to a convincing win, with two judges scoring the fight 117-109 for Stevenson and the third seeing it 118-108.
“I had a long week,” said Stevenson, ater improving to 19-0 with nine knockouts.
“I killed myself to make weight. All I wanted to do was come in and perform. I did everything I could to do that.”
Conceicao, who won lightweight boxing gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, could have captured the vacant titles ater agreeing to go on with the fight.
Instead he falls to 17-2 with eight knockouts, his second defeat coming a year ater he was on the end of a controversial loss to Oscar Valdez.
Stevenson dominated from the opening round before a crowd of 10,107, but he had a point deducted in the ninth when he slung Conceicao to the canvas.