Khabib has a way better chance of beating Floyd Mayweather than Tenshin - coach EXCLUSIVE
FLOYD MAYWEATHER returns to the ring in a few days time to take part in yet another much-maligned fight.
On New Year’s Eve, the legendary boxer will take on Japanese kickboxing and mixed martial arts phenom Tenshin Nasukawa at RIZIN 14.
Mayweather’s return to the ring will come in a three-round exhibition bout, in which 20-year-old Nasukawa won’t be allowed to use his wide array of strikes.
Prior to the announcement of his surprising bout with Nasukawa, if you can even call it that, Mayweather publicly entertained the prospect of boxing UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov declared his interest in facing 41-year-old Mayweather not long after his UFC 229 victory over Conor McGregor, who fought the American in a much-criticised bout in August 2017.
Mayweather, who we all know struggles to say no to any offer that will lace his pockets, gladly accepted Nurmagomedov’s challenge but seemingly went cold on the idea.
And as talk of the pair trading blows with one another died down, the Michigan native’s bout with Nasukawa was announced.
As Mayweather vs Nasukawa edges closer, predictions for the questionable contest continue to arise.
With Nasukawa entering Mayweather’s world, many have written off his chances of defeating the Olympic bronze medallist, and understandably so.
Khabib’s gonna do better than the person he’s fighting in Japan, I’ll tell you that
One man who is part of that camp is American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez, the head coach of UFC lightweight king Nurmagomedov.
And the AKA chief believes ‘The Eagle’ would give Mayweather more of a run for his money if he were the one facing him.
“Of course I’d like to prepare him for that fight,” Mendez told Express Sport when discussing a possible showdown between Nurmagomedov and Mayweather. “Who wouldn’t?
“Like I said, it’s prizefighting. That’s the biggest prize of all.
“Khabib’s gonna do better than the person he’s fighting in Japan, I’ll tell you that. He’s going to do way better than that guy.
“I guarantee you Khabib will do way better than him.
"We have a better chance of winning than that kid does.”
The only way we’ll ever know if Mendez is right is if Nurmagomedov laces up a pair of boxing gloves and enters the squared circle, which seems highly unlikely at this moment in time due to his ongoing issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Also, one would assume the UFC brass aren’t keen on having another one of their superstars enter the boxing world and holding up the lightweight division again.
But you never know in this crazy fight game, which is nowadays seemingly driven by promoters' desire for money rather than entertaining fights.
And although many in the combat sports world like to forget about it, Mayweather vs McGregor did actually come to fruition.
So who’s to say Russia’s first UFC belt holder won’t follow in the footsteps of his predecessor at the summit of the lightweight division and take on arguably the greatest boxer of all time?