Floyd Mayweather has said he will come out of retirement to fight Conor McGregor – but only if he gets paid $100 million.
The 39-year-old responded to McGregor’s most recent demand of a $100 million purse for a boxing match with the counter offer of $15 million and a cut of the pay-per-view.
And while we’ve heard bickering and back-and-forths, nobody has actually come out and discussed the financials, which are seemingly the only obstacle between the fight actually happening and it being branded as rumour.
Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Mayweather challenged both McGregor and the UFC to close the deal:
You guys keep hearing all these different rumors about different fighters want to face Floyd Mayweather. Everybody keeps talking about Conor McGregor. He’s blowing smoke up everybody’s ass. Dana White, the UFC – let’s make it happen. Bring him over to the boxing world, and I’ll show him what it’s like.
We tried to make the Conor McGregor fight. They know what my number is. A guaranteed $100M. We’re the A side. I don’t know how much money Conor McGregor has made. I’m pretty sure he’s never even made 10 million in an MMA bout.
After this announcement, McGregor fought fire with fire by sending out this message on Twitter.
McGregor, currently the UFC’s lightweight champion, isn’t expected to return to the Octagon until at least May while taking a break for the birth of his first child, ESPN reports.
While talk of a Mayweather-McGregor boxing match dominated much of social media in 2016, McGregor took things one step further in December when he obtained a license to box professionally in California.
Mayweather retired undefeated in September 2015, but has frequently teased with McGregor about any potential fight. But despite making upwards of $300 million for his 2015 victory over Manny Pacquiao, the 39-year-old says he isn’t interested in a rematch.
“Only thing I’m probably interested in is the Conor McGregor fight,” Mayweather said. “I’m a businessman, and it makes business sense. I believe in what me and [adviser] Al Haymon talk about every day – I believe in working smarter, not harder.”
