Floyd Mayweather: Conor McGregor’s power would translate to boxing

Most pundits in both boxing and mixed martial arts don’t really think Conor McGregor would have a chance in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. McGregor doesn’t have a single pro boxing fight under his belt. Meanwhile, Mayweather is 49-0, the best boxer of his generation and one of the best of all time.

Mayweather, though, argues that the matchup could be competitive. While it’s unclear if he truly believes it or if he’s just doing some pre-emptive promotion, “Money” said on Showtime Boxing last night that he thinks McGregor could put up a fight.

“Because every time Conor McGregor go out there and compete and win, he do it standing up,” Mayweather said. “When Conor McGregor did lose, he lost on the ground. He didn’t lose standing up. So he’s a hell of a fighter and he’s a very, very tough competitor and he has the will to win.”

McGregor, the UFC lightweight champion and former UFC featherweight champion, does have a knack for knocking opponents out. But many feel like that could be negated with the bigger gloves used in boxing. Not Mayweather.

“The UFC gloves is no different from boxing gloves,” Mayweather said. “They’re just a little bit smaller, but if a guy got power, he got power. And Conor McGregor got power.”

Mayweather is killing McGregor with kindness right now, because it’s clear he wants the fight to happen. If it did, it would be one of the biggest pay-per-views of all time, likely only second to Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

In reality, though, there are many hurdles to getting it done. The biggest is McGregor’s restrictive contract with the UFC. If McGregor is going to fight Mayweather, the UFC will have to be in on the promotion or McGregor will be facing a lengthy legal battle.

On Friday, UFC president Dana White told TMZ that the negotiations are not any closer than they have been, despite recent reports.

“We’re nowhere,” White said. … “I expect Conor’s next fight to be in the UFC, in mixed martial arts and the winner of Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and [Tony] Ferguson.”

Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will meet for the interim UFC lightweight title in the co-main event of UFC 209 next Saturday in Las Vegas.

White said last month that he would offer $25 million to both Mayweather and McGregor to make the boxing match happen. But Mayweather laughed that off, reiterating that the number it would take for him to come out of retirement is $100 million.

Still, it’s clear McGregor is the only opponent Mayweather wants. And that could be the case vice versa as well.

“Let’s make the fight happen,” Mayweather said. “Let’s give the fans what they want to see. There’s only one fight out there that’s important — that’s Mayweather and Conor McGregor.”