Floyd Mayweather sent a message to mixed martial
arts champion, Conor McGregor on Tuesday to stop ‘barking’ and find some ‘bite’
after months of talk about a crossover fight between the two.
Speaking after announcing
an IBF world super-featherweight title bout in London on May 20 between his
defending protege Gervonta Davis and Britain’s Liam Walsh, Mayweather suggested
McGregor was all talk.
“Conor McGregor is
blowing smoke up everybody’s ass,” the 40-year-old unbeaten and now-retired
former world champion told Reuters.
“He doesn’t really want
to fight. If he really wants to fight, sign the contract.
“This is what I’m going
to do: I’m going to get a contract typed up tonight. I’m going to sign it and
I’m going to fax it over to Conor McGregor and see if he’s going to sign it,”
he added.
Mayweather said he did
not know if the fight would happen and gave no details about what he would put
in any contract he might draw up and accused the Irishman of “disrespect”.
“He’s barking, he’s
barking, he’s barking,” he said. “Once you get the paperwork and sign the
contract, then you bite.
“Right now you’re just
barking.
“He got famous off my
name, these fighters keep doing this,” added the American.
“Filipino multiple
world champion Manny Pacquiao did the same thing. He got famous off my name.
Stop that shit.”
McGregor has been
challenging Mayweather, who retired in 2015 with a 49-0 record, to a fight for
months.
The two sides have yet
to reach terms, while doing their part to drum up interest with plenty of media
barbs, with some major hurdles to overcome.
Mayweather has asked
for a guaranteed $100 million to make the fight happen, with $15 million going
to McGregor, while UFC president Dana White has talked of $25 million to each
plus pay-per-view money.
McGregor, the biggest
pay-per-view draw in mixed martial arts, is contracted to UFC and the
organisation would have to approve any fight.
Mayweather was more
amused about reports that one of his cars, branded with his ‘The Money Team’
insignia, had been broken into and set alight during a visit to Birmingham last
Saturday.
“My automobiles are all
in the U.S,” said the five division world champion. “But I like the story
because it was all around the world.
It was good press. So
thank you.”
The super-featherweight
fight at London’s Copperbox arena in May features unbeaten 22-year-old champion
Davis, who has won 16 of his 17 fights by knockout, against 30-year-old
British, Commonwealth and European champion Walsh.
Mayweather hailed Davis
as one of the most exciting young fighters in America, and said his promotional
company planned to bring three more shows to Britain this year.
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