The rumors of a possible Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight are continuing to gain momentum. At first the reports seemed like nothing more than clickbait, but now things are actually starting to sound serious.
“If I do fight, it’s only against Conor McGregor. That’s gonna be my only fight and not against nobody else because this matchup is just so intriguing,” Mayweather told ESNEWS. “You have a fighter against an MMA fighter, one of the best MMA fighters to do combat and stand up and do it. He’s a strong fighter and when I look at him fight he’s a little faster than I thought he was so if the fight happens I can’t overlook the guy. I’m pretty sure – if we make the fight happen – I’m pretty sure he’s gonna push me to the limit.”
Mayweather – the biggest star the sport of boxing has produced since Mike Tyson – retired from competition last year following the 49th bout of his undefeated pro career. The American was part of the most lucrative combat sports event of all time – his May 2nd 2015 fight against long-time rival Manny Pacquiao, which grossed over $500 million. Mayweather won the contest via unanimous decision.
UFC featherweight champ McGregor, meanwhile, currently holds the position of being the biggest draw in the sport of mixed martial arts. He was recently scheduled to face current Fighters Only cover star Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 200, but was pulled from the card after he refused to comply with the UFC’s hectic media schedule.
With Conor currently under contract with the UFC, UFC president Dana White has denied any possibility of Mayweather vs. McGregor taking place. But Mayweather has other ideas.
“I’m pretty sure we’re gonna have a master plan to make that fight happen. It hasn’t happened yet, but we locked down some dates. Me and my team, me and Al Haymon, me and Leonard Ellerbe, we locked down some dates in different countries, in different cities in the United States. And you already know what my number is – 100 million (dollars). That’s just the guarantee. We don’t talk about my number on the back end.”
For his part, McGregor seems to be interested in the fight judging by his recent social media posts – hardly surprising as the Irishman has cultivated the same moneymaker lifestyle that turned ‘Money’ Mayweather from ‘Pretty Boy’ into one of sports most polarizing figures.
MMA Vs Boxing. pic.twitter.com/qgl8tKvT5s
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 8, 2016
I run boxing.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 14, 2016
It may seem unprecedented, but if some co-promotion between Mayweather Promotions and Zuffa could be worked out then Dana and his fellow UFC executives might not be able to resist being part of what could be the most profitable sporting event in history.
