By: Sean Crose
“I accept.”
Those two words appeared on a social media post from UFC star and (on one occasion) professional boxer Conor McGregor. The two word sentence was accompanied by a photo of McGregor and Mayweather fully engaged in their 2017 novelty superfight. Although the post was vague, it’s nonetheless making its rounds around the fight world, as are whispers that team Mayweather and team McGregor might be on the road to making a second fight. Could Mayweather-McGregor 2 actually be on the horizon? This being 2022, it may very well be.
Mayweather was retired from boxing in 2017 when he decided to return to the professional ranks to battle McGregor, who at the time was the biggest mixed martial artist in the world. A boxing match that seemed to be a fantasy subsequently went on to become a reality. Although McGregor walked out of the ring able to hold his head up high, Mayweather finished the Irishman off in the tenth after having worn his man down. That really wasn’t the story, though. The hype, the press tour, the speculation (many truly thought McGregor could win), and of course the money involved captivated even those in the mainstream media. The fight went on to become the second most lucrative match in history, behind only 2015’s Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao throwdown.
It’s hard to imagine a second Mayweather-McGregor bout doing near the business of the first. Mayweather is well into his forties, and McGregor isn’t the dominant UFC force he once was. Time moves on, even for stars of Mayweather and McGregor’s caliber. Still, there’s little doubt the rematch, were it to go down, would be financially successful. It’s easy to picture Mayweather, who now makes a ton of cash engaging in exhibition bouts, being willing to square off with McGregor again. As for McGregor, well, there’s that post. Plus there’s this not so cryptic quote he recently gave to Sky Sports: “Boxing is my first love in combat sports. I had such a great time the last time I was out there.” There’s also the fact McGregor’s days of seeming invincibility are now a thing of the past. Like it or not, this bout would make a lot of sense for both men.
Perhaps Joe Hewlett of Yahoo Sports said it best: “Both men have something in common – they love making money and if there is enough interest then neither would turn that chance down.”