Work in progress
Floyd Mayweather Jr. says not so fast to reports a fight with Conor McGregor is set. The issues,
Will Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor really face off? Money talks, and no one expresses his love for cash more than Mayweather, the retired former champion. He also knows a matchup with McGregor is “easy work,” as he likes to say. That’s because any fight between the two would be in a boxing ring with 8-ounce gloves, not in a UFC octagon.
Although the fight has not been finalized, both men continue to talk it up, and there were news media reports from around the globe Tuesday, including Mayweather telling ESPN, “We’re getting very, very close,” and that negotiations were progressing.
With that in mind, here are questions about the potential superfight. 1. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO CONSUMMATE THE FIGHT? A lot. Both fighters have massive egos, and even trivial things, such as who enters the ring last and who is billed as the A-side, will be contested.
Of course, it all comes down to money, and the purse split will be a nightmare to squabble over. UFC President Dana White offered Mayweather a $25 million flat guarantee, which caused Mayweather to say of White, “He’s a comedian.” In this instance, Mayweather is right to be insulted.
His fight with Manny Pacquiao, the richest in history, netted him more than $200 million. Surely a fight with McGregor is worth more than an eighth of that. If the fight is going to get done, Mayweather is going to want at least 60% of the pie, the same deal he had for the Pacquiao bout.
But there are two other massive issues. 2. WILL WHITE ALLOW MCGREGOR TO PARTICIPATE? McGregor swears he’ll fight Mayweather with or without the UFC’s backing, but it’s not that simple. McGregor is under contract to the UFC and has four fights remaining on his deal. White won’t stand on the sideline when there’s cash to be made.
Plus, if Mayweather embarrass- es McGregor in the ring, the UFC’s lone remaining cash cow returns to the octagon perhaps with his marketability damaged. 3. WILL A STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION SANCTION IT? McGregor holds a boxing license in California and is attempting to gain one in Nevada, where he has issues to clean up after a waterbottle incident with Nate Diaz.
Simply holding a boxing license doesn’t mean you’re sanctioned for any fight. McGregor has never competed in a boxing ring — as a pro or amateur — outside of sparring sessions. In his most highly publicized workout, McGregor was toyed with by fringe contender Chris Van Heerden.
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett said Tuesday that he didn’t anticipate any issues in the sanctioning of a possible Mayweather-McGregor bout.
“That’s certainly a fight that we would approve and have in Vegas,” Bennett said. “Who wouldn’t want to regulate the two best fighters at 150 pounds in their respective unarmed combat fields? Mayweather’s a phenomenal fighter, and so is McGregor.” 4. WHEN AND WHERE WOULD THE FIGHT TAKE PLACE? It’s likely everybody prefers Las Vegas, which would make the most sense. Outside of places like Memphis and New Orleans, there are international options. What about Belfast? Or maybe Dubai, where money is no object.
As for the timing, the fall makes the most sense. September, October and November are generally reserved for big fights. Mayweather also will have to work his way back into boxing shape (his last fight was in September 2015), and McGregor would need a lengthy camp dedicated to boxing before even he begins his actual training period. 5. HOW MUCH DO THEY STAND TO MAKE? Hundreds of millions, depending on how many pay-per-view buys the fight would generate. Mayweather-Pacquiao sold 4.6 million, which shattered the record of 2.8 million set by Oscar De La Hoya vs. Mayweather.
If this fight generates 3 million, both men stand to make hundreds of millions. The gate, too, plays into their purses, and filling up T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas would bring a large one. 6. WHO WOULD TELEVISE IT? Mayweather insisted last month that if the fight takes place, Showtime would distribute the event on PPV. Mayweather fought on HBO for a long time but signed a six-fight deal with Showtime in 2013.
White surely would want UFC to own the rights. Could a partnership be worked out in which they share rights? This has happened twice between HBO and Showtime for Mayweather-Pacquiao and Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fights. 7. WHO WINS? This is easy: Mayweather in a laugher. That’s no disrespect to McGregor, an elite UFC fighter who surely would wipe the floor with Mayweather in the octagon. But this is boxing, and Mayweather is perhaps the greatest fighter of this era.
It’s difficult to fathom the Irishman winning a single round. The biggest drama would likely come from seeing if Mayweather can score a knockout.