By: Sean Crose
At the time it all made a bit of sense. Floyd Mayweather, although forty years of age and retired, was still considered the single most dominant force in boxing. No one, not even former foe Canelo Alvarez, had positioned himself on the throne Mayweather had vacated. Conor McGregor, on the other hand, was unquestionably the face of the UFC. Both men were brash, flashy and uber-talented. Although it seemed like he didn’t stand much chance of beating Mayweather in a boxing ring, it made sense (or, rather, dollars and cents) that McGregor would give it a shot. The ultra hyped Mayweather-McGregor fight, which went down during the summer of 2017, ended fairly predictably, with Mayweather stopping the Irish superstar in the tenth round of one of the most lucrative bouts in history.
Now Mayweather – and not for the first time – is speaking of facing McGregor again. “I want to go out there this weekend and have fun, then I have another exhibition in Dubai in November and me and Conor McGregor in 2023,” Sportsmail reports Mayweather as saying. “We don’t know if it’s going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there’s been talks of both. I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment. So, guys like Conor McGregor and guys that don’t really hit hard such as YouTubers or UFC guys, I don’t really mind colliding with those kinds of individuals but nothing where I am going to put myself in a position where I am going to harm myself or hurt myself.”
While it’s true Mayweather has tossed some shade the UFC’s way, it’s also true that it’s not 2017 any more. They’re both rich and incredibly famous, but neither Mayweather or McGregor is anywhere near his prime. Mayweather is set for an exhibition fight with Japanese MMA star Mikura Asakora this weekend. After that it’s said he’s going to fight another exhibition – this time with a YouTube influencer. Neither opponent is known as a top level boxer, because neither man is. They are, however, helping Mayweather pad his bank account. That’s good for them – and for Mayweather. Another Mayweather-McGregor match, however, will clearly not do the untold millions the original bout did.
It’s doubtless, though, that Mayweather-McGregor 2 would be a lucrative endeavor. It wouldn’t be a serious affair, but it would still be lucrative. With Mayweather understandably retired from high level boxing and McGregor understandably not the UFC force he was, perhaps a rematch between these two does actually make a bit of sense – just like the first one.