Floyd Mayweather could fight in the UK for the very first time

EXCLUSIVE: Floyd Mayweather confirms he WILL fight in the UK for the first time ever if ‘the price is right’… but warns it will cost ‘millions per MINUTE’ after boasting he’ll collect $20m for exhibition in Japan

  • Mayweather is open to the prospect of taking part in a UK-based exhibition bout
  • The 45-year-old boxer has said he would fight in the UK if ‘the price was right’ 
  • Mayweather has warned his going rate for an exhibition is ‘millions per minute’
  • The American is set to earn $20million from his bout in Japan this weekend 

Floyd Mayweather has said he would be willing to fight in the UK if the ‘price was right’ but warned his going rate for an exhibition bout is ‘millions per minute’.

Mayweather retired from professional boxing after extending his unbeaten record to 50 fights against MMA star Conor McGregor in 2017. 

However, Mayweather has refrained from hanging up his gloves for good and has been taking part in lucrative exhibition bouts ever since. 

Floyd Mayweather has confirmed he would be willing to fight in the UK for the very fight time 

Mayweather fought every one of his professional fights in the US but has began to travel around the world for his exhibition bouts. 

Mayweather fought Deji Olatunji in in Dubai, Don Moore in Abu Dhabi and Mikuru Asakura in Japan. He is also set to take on Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo this weekend.

Therefore, Sportsmail decided to ask whether Mayweather would be open to fighting in the United Kingdom – to which he said yes, if the price is right. 

Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, Mayweather said: ‘We don’t know [where the rest of my bouts will take place] but of course, if the price is right then I am on my way [to the UK].

The PPV sales from Mayweather’s fight with Conor McGregor shows the UK’s interest in him 

However, Mayweather – who is known to have a lavish lifestyle – said it depends on money

When asked about how lucrative his exhibition bouts are, Mayweather said: ‘It’s always a few million a minute. 

‘From this exhibition [against Mikuru Asakura] alone I will making somewhere upwards of $15-20million. That’s just from this exhibition. So, it’s cool. Nine minutes, 20 million, not bad.’

Mayweather finished his career with a perfect 50-0 record – beating the likes of Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor to become a household name in boxing.

Mayweather fought 100 per cent of his professional bouts in the United States but that didn’t stop British fans from falling in love with him. 

Mayweather – fought every one of his professional bouts in the US – has also said he is doing exhibitions to ‘travel’

The regional stats for pay-per-view sales following Mayweather’s fight with McGregor are a clear indication of the American’s presence in the UK. 

The highly-anticipated fight generated over a million pay-per-view buys in the United Kingdom and grossed in excess of £20m. 

That bypassed the record set in April 2017 when Anthony Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium. 

Therefore, boxing fans in the UK will be thrilled to hear Mayweather is open to fighting on their home soil. 

However, money will be a huge stumbling block as Mayweather is demanding at least a ‘couple of million’ per minute. 

When asked whether money was the only motivation for taking these exhibition bouts, Mayweather said ‘travelling’ was a contributing factor. 

He said: ‘The exhibitions are giving me chance to travel more. I have always travelled a lot but I am able to travel and entertain people from all around the world. 

‘I wasn’t actually able to fight a real fight in Japan but they love it when I do exhibitions. They love for me to come over and perform. 

The 45-year-old (above) boxing star is set to take on Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo this weekend

Mayweather said he will walk away from the 9 minute exhibition bout with $20million

‘I wasn’t able to fight a real fight in Abu Dhabi or Dubai but they like for me to come over and give them a chance to see the old Mayweather. It’s a great feeling.’ 

When asked who would be the number one opponent he would like to face in an exhibition, Mayweather said: ‘They give me different names and I am just like ‘yo, lets make it happen’. 

‘I’m not going to fight just anyone though because I am not going to put myself in a position where it is rough and tough. 

‘It’s about working smarter, not harder and I am getting smarter in life. I had a great career because the less you get hit the longer you last.’ 

He finished by saying: ‘As long as I am not taking any punches I am going to keep doing exhibitions and have fun.’ 

You can watch Floyd Mayweather in action against Mikuru Asakura live on FITE TV this Saturday, September 24. 




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