Rizin 14 Odds and Predictions: Mayweather Heavily Favored Over Nasukawa

• It’s on: Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa
• The retired boxer returns to headline Rizin 14 on New Year’s Eve
• His opponent is a young kickboxing prodigy with no boxing experience

I guess this is actually happening.

Floyd Mayweather is really going to face kickboxing prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve at Rizin 14. The event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, marking Mayweather’s first bout outside of the US.

The fight will be a three-round boxing exhibition, meaning it will not count on either professional record, and will be held under strict boxing rules. It’s a classic Mayweather fight, designed to minimize his chances of losing and maximize his earning potential. It’s essentially a sparring session against an undersized opponent who has never boxed professionally.

Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa Odds

Ridiculous odds for a ridiculous fight. Like with Mayweather vs McGregor, the mixed martial artist is receiving an unreasonable amount of action. That makes for some pretty good value on Mayweather’s side.

There are a million reasons to pick Mayweather to win this boxing spectacle, and perhaps just one reason to consider Tenshin. Let’s break it down!

Tale of the Tape

Boxing Favors the Boxer

This should go without saying, but Mayweather already has a history of tricking fans into believing a boxing debutant could actually stand a chance against him. We all tuned to see him fight Conor McGregor, parting with hard-earned cash to witness an undefeated five-division world champion beat an MMA fighter making his boxing debut.

Tenshin Nasukawa is an amazing kickboxer and mixed martial artist, but all that counts for very little. He’s venturing into Mayweather’s domain and does not have any professional boxing experience.

This is much of the same. For a while, it was rumored that the fight would take place under modified rules — perhaps with kicking or elbows or MMA gloves or something. But of course, Floyd Mayweather isn’t having any of that. This is boxing, pure and simple.

Tenshin Nasukawa is an amazing kickboxer and mixed martial artist, but all that counts for very little. He’s venturing into Mayweather’s domain and does not have any professional boxing experience.

The Size Difference

There’s also a huge size disparity. Tenshin stands at just 5 ft 5 in and mostly fights at bantamweight, weighing in mostly around 120 lb. Mayweather is 5 ft 8 in and has ventured as high as light middleweight (154 lbs). This fight will take place at 147 lbs, making it a welterweight bout.

There is no way for Tenshin to roughhouse Mayweather over three rounds, and the chances of him out-boxing one of the greatest technicians of all time is just as slim.

The Japan Factor

Anyone familiar with Japanese combat sports knows that it can be a little shady. Let’s just say that judging decisions can be a little questionable at times and fighters have admitted to fixing fights. Especially when there’s a young local boy with everything to gain, the chances of shenanigans skyrockets.

When there’s a young local boy with everything to gain, the chances of shenanigans skyrockets.

A “loss” wouldn’t appear on Mayweather’s fight record since this is an exhibition match, so maybe it wouldn’t bother him too much. It would do wonders for Tenshin’s career, though.

Pick: Floyd Mayweather

There’s still no question that the value is with Floyd Mayweather. In all likelihood, he’ll show up for nine minutes and piece up the young kickboxer. He’ll treat the bout like a glorified sparring session and leave a couple million dollars richer.

Don’t let Mayweather be the only one making easy money from this bout. Pick the boxer to win a boxing match.