Mayweather to take on Japanese kickboxer

Floyd Mayweather is set to fight a 20-year-old Japanese kickboxer in a stunning development in the combat sports world.

The 41 year-old undefeated boxer will fight Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, Rizin Fighting Federation, which is an MMA organisation, said yesterday.

Mayweather has signed with the federation and was present when it announced at a press conference in Tokyo yesterday.

The fight will be at the Saitama Super Arena, but what form it will take is not yet clear.

‘‘We’ll talk about that, we’ll get that situated within the next couple weeks,’’ Mayweather said when asked about the fight’s weight class and the rules.

‘‘We’re giving the people something they’ve never seen before,’’ he said. ‘‘As far as the weight class, we’re not really worried about that. When it’s all said and done, it’s all about me going out there displaying my skills against another skilful fighter. So we both want to go out there and display our skills and give people excitement’’