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29 March 2024

MMA vs Boxing: Mayweather says McGregor fight 'possible' [video]

Promotional poster of the two fighters face-to-face with the caption "MMA Vs Boxing." (Picture courtesy Conor McGregor/Twitter)

Published
By Agencies

Floyd Mayweather continues to stoke the fires of a possible return to the ring after the retired multi-division champion dropped hints of a potential bout against outspoken Irish mixed-martial arts fighter Conor McGregor.

Mayweather says it's "possible" he could come out of retirement to face mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.

"It's possible," Mayweather said Saturday while in Las Vegas for the fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Amir Khan.

"It was a name that was shot at me," Mayweather said in video posted by Fighthype.com.

"The rumours that you all have been hearing are the rumors that I started. It may not be a rumor, so keep your fingers crossed. It may be a boxer versus an MMA fighter."

The 39-year-old American retired last September after accumulating a 49-0 record during a 19-year career that produced world titles in five weight divisions and earnings in excess of $800 million.

He has hardly faded from the scene, however, and Mayweather appeared at ringside following boxer Adrien Broner's victory over Ashley Theophane last month.

Broner then verbally challenged Mayweather, who laughed off that taunt but he did recently allude to a comeback in an interview with Showtime, bringing along with it whispers of a possible rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

Dubbed 'The Fight of the Century' by promoters, their long-awaited showdown on May 2 last year was a disappointing affair, as Mayweather easily outpointed his Filipino opponent in a low-key and ultra-defensive encounter.

However, one more win would put Mayweather ahead of heavyweight great Rocky Marciano, who also retired with a perfect 49-0 career record.

"It's not important," Mayweather told FightHype.com of the record. "I didn't let a sport retire me. I was able to retire from a sport and quit on my own terms."

Mayweather was asked about a potential McGregor matchup because British tabloid The Sun reported he and Ireland's McGregor were "on the verge" of agreeing to meet.

According to the Sun the two would face off this year in a boxing ring - not an MMA octagon - with McGregor getting about $10 million to Mayweather's $144 million.

Mayweather, 39, walked away from boxing in September with a perfect 49-0 record.

That included his last victory over Andre Berto and his triumph over Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao in May of 2015 in the most lucrative fight in boxing history.

In April, he told Showtime television interviewer Jim Gray that he might be tempted to return to the ring - if he could guarantee a "nine-figure" payday.

He said he'd had talks with Showtime and the CBS network.

UFC featherweight champion McGregor was dropped from his rematch against welterweight Nate Diaz at UFC 200 in July for refusing to attend a news conference to promote the event.

McGregor, who was choked into submission in a non-title bout against Diaz in March, subsequently hinted that he could retire before making an aborted attempt to get back on the card.

In response to speculation about a possible meeting with Mayweather, the Irishman tweeted a mock promotional poster of the two fighters face-to-face with the caption "MMA Vs Boxing."