What’s the story?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. just won’t let up. Ever since admitting that he started rumours of a cross-over mega-fight against UFC phenom, Conor McGregor, in early 2016, Mayweather has fired non-stop verbal jabs at the outspoken Irishman.
The latest in this string of verbal warfare from Mayweather, is the comparison of his own net worth, with that of McGregor. After UFC President Dana White, recently claimed that he is willing to offer $25 million guaranteed fight purse to both, Mayweather and McGregor; ‘Money’ has gone on to mock White as well as McGregor.
Trending
Mayweather claims that McGregor isn’t even worth $2.5 million and that before demanding a $25 million pay cheque, he ought to confront reality. He stated that McGregor presents false information on the money front and that he is superior to McGregor- in the bank as well as the ring. Here is Money’s tweet:
In case you didn’t know...
Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of all time, having won world titles in multiple weight classes, in professional boxing. On the other hand, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor is the current UFC Lightweight Champion and the former UFC Featherweight champion.
Rumours about a potential mega-fight between Mayweather and McGregor have been circulating since early 2016, and with both fighters being the biggest draws in their respective sports; a potential fight between them can break all-time pay-per-view and box office records in the business of combat sports.
The heart of the matter
Mayweather, being the savvy trash talker that he is, has a long history of targeting his opponents’ bank balance, to prove his superiority.
However, the reality of the situation differs from Mayweather’s assessment. McGregor is worth much more than $2.5 million, as of 2017. He earned a reported fight purse of $1 million at UFC 196, $3 million at UFC 202 and is said to have earned another $3 million for his fight at UFC 205.
In addition to this, McGregor’s UFC contract includes pay-per-view (PPV) points, which in turn, serve to increase his overall earnings.
On the other hand, Mayweather banked a record fight purse of $100 million against Manny Pacquiao in May 2015, and in his last fight against Andre Berto, he pocketed a cool $32 million. Plus, ‘Money’, being the co-promoter for several of his recent fights, also takes home a significant share of PPV points, from the fight revenue.
What’s next?
As of now, Mayweather has clearly stated that the only fight that interests him is a professional boxing match with the outspoken Irishman. He has also revealed that the only way this proposed fight against McGregor takes place is if he agrees to the terms laid down by Mayweather.
That includes the fight date, venue, fight purse, etc. On the other hand, McGregor, who is on a 10-month absence from the Octagon has stated that he is ready to face Mayweather regardless of the ruleset, in boxing or MMA.
For now, McGregor is all set to participate in an hour-long interview with MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani on January 28th, 2017. This interview will be broadcasted worldwide, live, on PPV.
Sportskeeda’s take
Facts are facts, and as they stand, Mayweather and McGregor are both rich. Both athletes have followed the Muhammad Ali blueprint of promoting themselves in the media as millionaire brutes.
They constantly seek to promote themselves and establish their brand in the fight business by way of portraying their riches to the media and fans, alike. Nevertheless, Mayweather seems to be genuinely interested in making a fight with McGregor happen.
However, McGregor is still under contract with the UFC. Therefore, the only way a Mayweather vs. McGregor fight takes place is if the UFC allows McGregor to participate in the said event.
In the event that the UFC disallows ‘Notorious’ to face ‘Money’, in a boxing match, there is no way the said fight would happen. And if McGregor tries to force the UFC, he may end up in breach of his contract with the world’s top MMA promotion.
However, given UFC President Dana White’s recent interest in promoting the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight under the UFC banner, there seems to be a very realistic possibility that Mayweather vs McGregor takes place, before the end of this year.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
