Mayweather ‘spectacle’ slammed

THE Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight is bad for boxing and the backlash from the exhibition spectacle will likely dog the sport for years to come, promoter Kathy Duva says.

“Of course it’s bad for boxing,” Duva, who is the promoter for Russian boxer Sergey Kovalev said.

“It’s going to suck up all the air in the room,” she said.

Boxing legend Mayweather and mixed martial arts superstar McGregor announced plans on Wednesday for a boxing showdown that could become one of the richest bouts in history.

The fight will take place on August 26 in Las Vegas.

Mayweather, who is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, is a heavy favourite against McGregor -- who has not boxed competitively in the ring since he was a teenager.

Mayweather saiud he had no problem coming out of retirement to fight McGregor.

“McGregor is a tough competitor. People all around the world demanded this fight so I had to give them what they wanted to see,” Mayweather told BSOTV in an interview that aired on Saturday.

“They asked for this fight. I was in retirement, but they wanted me back and I’m back.”

But many boxing experts have slammed the event as an exhibition spectacle.