The Citizen (Gauteng)

Mayweather mum on fight

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– Floyd Mayweather was tight-lipped this week over the prospect of a fight with mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor (above) after the promoter said the Irishman had signed to face the boxing great.

Mayweather is currently in London with protege Gervonta Davis, who makes his first defence of his Internatio­nal Boxing Federation (IBF) super-featherwei­ght title against Liam Walsh.

Asked about the long-talkedabou­t fight with McGregor, Mayweather said: “This is Liam Walsh and Gervonta Davis’s press conference. Let’s focus on these two competitor­s.

“That’s total disrespect to both of these fighters, it’s their press conference, let’s talk about them. Both of these fighters deserve respect.”

Fight promoter Dana White has said he had an agreement with 28-year-old UFC lightweigh­t champion McGregor for the proposed bout, but that Mayweather remained unsigned.

White told American television cable channel TNT this week that McGregor has agreed to a boxing match and not a martial arts fight, which would heavily favour Mayweather, who has never lost in his two-decades long profession­al career.

White said his plan now was to try to lure the American out retirement for a super fight with McGregor.

Not everyone would be excited to see a Mayweather-McGregor boxing match.

Promoter Oscar de la Hoya has said a bout between the two would be an “embarrassm­ent” for the sport of boxing. –

London

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