The Citizen (KZN)

Super fight could be on

- London

– Floyd Mayweather Jr (above) said a fight against UFC champion Conor McGregor is “90%” likely – if he boxes again.

The retired undefeated fiveweight world champion, who has not boxed since September 2015, admits he wants to fight Irishman McGregor rather than any boxer in a clash that would attract global interest and could set new records for pay-per-view revenue.

UFC lightweigh­t champion McGregor, 28, last week applied for a boxing licence in Nevada and there has been mounting speculatio­n the pair will meet in the boxing ring this year.

American Mayweather, 40, broke his silence on ending his retirement and trying to extend his perfect record to 50-0 against McGregor, who has a UFC record of 21 wins and three defeats.

“If I do fight, there’s a 90 per cent chance it’s against Conor McGregor,” Mayweather told a news conference on Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena in London.

“The only sort of numbers I worry about are pay-per-view numbers. I have to see what the next move is.”

Critics have claimed it would be a mismatch, but Mayweather insists it is the biggest fight to be made in boxing and mixed martial arts.

“The only fight that makes sense to me is the McGregor fight,” Mayweather said.

“I’ve accomplish­ed everything (else) I want to accomplish. Conor McGregor is profession­al and so am I. He’s a stand-up fighter and I’m a stand-up fighter. He kicks ass in the octagon and I kick ass in the boxing ring.

“The fans demand that fight and you have to give the fans what they want to see.” – AFP

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