ESPN Radio in New York interview
Mayweather comments on upcoming fight with Mosley:
I’ve been trying to fight Mosley since he was dominating at lightweight and I was dominating at junior lightweight. For those that’s listening and don’t know what junior lightweight is that’s 130 and at that particular time Mosley was at 135. He didn’t want to fight me back then, he moved on to other things and I moved on and kept dominating the sport. I moved up in weight classes and he moved up in weight classes.
Fox Sports Radio interview
Mosley talks about his upcoming fight with Mayweather:
I want this fight because he was considered the best fighter out there. He came out of retirement and everybody considers him the best. You know I fought Margarito when he was the best and now I am fighting Mayweather because he’s the best and then Manny Pacquiao. We have to clean this division up and see who the real welterweight champion is – the welterweight king. Beating Floyd for me is different. I beat guys who can punch. I beat guys with good chin. I want to beat guys that’s the best pound-for-pound technician. That lets people know that I am well-versatile.
ESPN Chicago with the Afternoon Saloon interview
Mayweather discusses a possible fight with Pacquiao:
You guys must realize this about Pacquiao, that’s just a media creation. That’s somebody who just came around. For someone to beat me would be abnormal, for someone to be him is normal because he has already been beaten three times and knocked out twice. It’s nothing new.
KNBR in San Francisco interview
Guerrero gives his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Mayweather:
Being versatile in the ring. I’m versatile in the ring. You look at all my films and my previous fights and I never fight the same style. I come in different. I can fight on the inside or outside, I can be a boxer or a puncher, I can just be a boxer, a slugger, I’m able to change it up and be versatile in the ring also. It makes it much more challenging. Also being a left-hander that’s not scared to fight. Not scared to throw punches and get in there and take a shot so that’s what Floyd respects too in the ring. It’s going to be a dogfight.
McGregor: ‘I would kill Mayweather in 30 seconds’
In an interview with Esquire, McGregor calls out Mayweather.
I look at him as a rookie in ten other areas. If you can box, what happens if I grab hold of your legs? If you put me face-to-face with Floyd Mayweather—pound-for-pound boxing’s best—if I fought Floyd, I would kill him in less than thirty seconds. It would take me less than thirty seconds to wrap around him like a boa constrictor and strangle him.
Mayweather Snr: McGregor has ‘zero’ chance of defeating son
In an interview on Mayweather’s official boxing channel, Mayweather Snr. talks about the possibility of a fight with McGregor.
I think it would be bigger than Pacman and Floyd. You just wait and see.
On McGregor’s chances of beating his son:
Zero percent. I’m not going to say that it would be the quickest knock out of Floyd’s career. I’m not gonna say that. But it would be one of the most humiliating fights that anyone could see.
On whether the fight would actually be made:
Oh hell yes. It’s an easy test. You know what Floyd’s gonna do.
Roach: I was asked to train McGregor
Roach says he was asked to train McGregor.
They said, ‘will you train him?’ I said ‘Tell him to show up’. I like helping people. But I’m not going to train him to fight Mayweather. I’d have to train him for at least three years to get him ready for [Floyd] Mayweather…He’s a little green, but c’mon. He’s good at MMa, but come on…If you fight boxing rules the boxer will win, if you fight MMA rules the MMA guy will win…If he comes I’ll help him for sure.
White: McGregor-Mayweather ‘impossible’
In an interview on on the Russillo and Kannell show, White says that a McGregor-Mayweather matchup is ‘impossible’.
Let me put it to you this way. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are in the same sport. It took how long for those two to fight? Now imagine how hard it would be to get [Mayweather and McGregor] to fight. They’re not in the same sport. Is this thing going to be MMA or boxing rules? Who’s getting the lion’s share of the money? This and that. It’s impossible. But like I’ve said, ‘Floyd, you want to fight Conor, call me.’
Mayweather: I’d come out of retirement to fight McGregor
Mayweather says he could come out of retirement to fight McGregor.
If I do fight, it’s only against Conor McGregor … not against nobody else. Because this match-up is so intriguing. You have (a boxer) against an MMA fighter – one of the best MMA fighters to ever. Stand up and do it. He’s a strong fighter, and when I look at his fights, he’s a little faster than I thought he was…When he kick ass, he kick ass in a stand-up position. I think in his last fight, the guy (Nate Diaz) was too heavy. But, he’s going to be OK. I think it will be so entertaining, if we can do it. If we can put a boxer with an MMA fighter. I can’t overlook that guy.We haven’t made the fight happen yet, but if we could tweak a few things, I’m sure we could get him, not a good pay-day, but a great pay-day…I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a master plan to make that fight happen. It hasn’t happened, yet, but we locked down some dates, me and my team, in different countries, in different cities in the United States. And you already know what my number is, $100million. That’s just the guarantee. We don’t talk about my number on the back end.
ESPN Sportscenter interview Part 2
In the second part of McGregor’s interview on ESPN Sportscenter, he talks to Mane about Mayweather.
I hear the boy talking. The leak came out. It was him that leaked it. He gets $100 million and I get $7 million. That’s a paycut to me. I don’t take paycuts. I thought boxing was where the money was at. $7 million is laughable. I’m also talking $100 million. Who doesn’t want to conquer both worlds? He’s getting old now. I have the size, I have the reach, I have the height. I have the youth. He needs me. I don’t need him. That’s the truth of it. He fights someone else in boxing realm, the pay goes from $100 million to $15 million. He needs me. If he wants to talk he can talk, but it’s me who’s in control here.
Jeffries: McGregor can beat Mayweather
Jeffries says he was impressed by McGregor’s boxing ability.
He had really good boxing knowledge, amazing footwork, and he was very athletic and elusive. I thought his boxing was going to be amateur level, but he could beat a lot of professional fighters. Conor would beat some very high-talent professionals…I’ve totally changed my opinion. I thought about the [Mayweather] fight a lot. Conor, with how elusive he is and his style, he’s tough as well. What people don’t realise with Conor is that he’s got an iron jaw. Yes, he was rocked once by one of the best boxers in the UFC in Nate Diaz. He got caught with a solid right hand with a four-ounce glove. He got rocked, but who wouldn’t? I give him a shot [at beating Mayweather]. He’s fit, strong, has a tough chin, and one thing about Floyd is that he’s not a puncher, and they’re wearing bigger gloves. Floyd’s hardest fight was with Maidana. McGregor has a similar ‘rough’ sort of style. I don’t think it’s as one-sided as people think it is.
Diaz: McGregor-Mayweather talk cover up for an ‘ass whooping’
In an interview on MMA Hour, Diaz says the UFC is targeting the McGregor rematch for UFC 202. Diaz:
I’ll whoop both McGregor and Mayweather in the same night. Now they’re talking that Mayweather shit, it’s all a cover up. It’s all trying to hide the fact that he got his ass whooped and that they want to buy him more time to get better if we are going to fight. I think the Mayweather thing’s a publicity stunt…I’m the only one out of the three of us that will say I will whoop both of their asses in one night. Cause Conor can’t say that. Floyd definitely cannot say that. You want a real fight, put me with one of those boxers and I guarantee you I can beat them in boxing.
On fight negotiations with Dana White:
I said that was one of the biggest fights you’ve ever had on 10 days’ notice, and he’s the biggest draw that you’ve ever had and I just beat your biggest draw. So if you don’t mind, I would like to be compensated better than I was the last time or what they were trying to offer me.
Roach: Mayweather says fight is going to happen
Roach says Mayweather visited his gym, and told him to coach McGregor if the fight is announced.
Mayweather did come out to my [Wild Card] gym last week, and he asked me to take that job if it’s offered. He told me the fight’s gonna happen, and we’re gonna make a lot of money. I told Mayweather that it would take me at least three years to get him ready to fight you. Conor McGregor’s a tough guy, but being a tough guy doesn’t really help you much! He looks like an OK boxer, but he’s almost like a beginner…I do know that Floyd’s been training at one of my gyms, and he’s been sparring with some of my professional fighters, and I hear he’s not doing too well with my professionals.
Kavanagh: Surprised if McGregor-Mayweather doesn’t happen
During a talk with MMA Underground, Kavanagh says he thinks McGregor-Mayweather will happen.
It puts it on hold. I think that contest will happen eventually but it’s on hold for now. I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t at some stage. I think it’s a bigger fight; I think there’s a lot of intrigue about it. I could be 100% wrong. Right now we’re focusing on August 20th. We have an important rematch – a mixed martial arts fight – but if in time that fight was to be announced it would not surprise me and I think it would be an interesting one.
It’s hard to beat Floyd with boxing because he seems to be almost perfect in terms of how defensive he is. I think if you’re a classically trained boxer you’re gonna lose to Floyd because he just seems to make everybody look quite ordinary. But maybe somebody who doesn’t strike like a boxer might be a new look for him. Maybe the odd sly knee and leg kick as well. [Laughs.] You get two warnings. [Laughs.]
Mayweather ‘afraid of a fight’
In an interview with The LAD Bible, McGregor says Mayweather is afraid to fight (at 10m50s in video).
Floyd’s afraid of a fight. Floyd doesn’t want the fight. Floyd wants a boxing match. And I’ve already said ‘No problem! Get my f-cking money. And when you get my money then we can box, in this boxing match, under this set of specific rules that will keep you alive. I’m here. Where’s my money? Cos If you keep dropping my name and you don’t have the money I’ll show up at your front door, so we’ll see…I don’t need rules, so I’m open. Right now it’s just talk.
McGregor: ‘I don’t give a f-ck about Floyd!’
McGregor is interviewed at an event in Devenish nightclub in Belfast.
Originally what happened was: Floyd called me out. i don’t give a f-ck about Floyd. I don’t fear no man, under no rule set…and he leaks a rumour that we were going to fight. But it opened my eyes a bit. And I thought, hold on, maybe I can pursue this. Maybe I can pursue the boxing side…We were in the background with negotiations. It’s their move now. Since I got that boxing license, Floyd’s fat manager came out, ‘Floyd’s in the bahamas. He doesn’t care about Conor’. Well I don’t give a f-ck about Floyd either…So I don’t need Floyd. I hold all the numbers. I don’t need Floyd.
Mayweather: McGregor dodging fight
Mayweather claims McGregor is dodging the fight.
I’m not just the face of boxing. I’m the face of MMA. I support all fighters. They go through a lot to get to a certain level…Conor McGregor, I want to tell everybody this, right now; does he really wanna fight? Absolutely not. I’m trying to see if he really wanna fight but we can’t make the fight happen because he’s not his own boss. And I want to world to know this, just two fights ago he was just (tap, tap) tapping out. He was just (tap, tap) quitting. A lot of fighters, legendary fighters, fighters of today, MMA fighters, they call me and say, Floyd do what’s right. Call me what you want to call me but I’m not a quitter. I thought he lost [against Nate Diaz]. If Conor McGregor is kinda stealing the Floyd Mayweather blueprint, the bars with the cars, the jazzy dressing…I mean I can’t knock him. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do. Every fighter piggybacks off of the Mayweather name. I don’t even know him. I seen him (tap, tap) tap out…I’m an old man now I and I’m smart. And the best business move for me is Conor McGregor.
GQ interview: My fist is bigger than Mayweather’s head
In an interview with GQ, McGregor talks about Mayweather.
You use the term ‘fighting’ differently, because he’s not been fighting for 40 years. He’s been boxing for 40 years. There’s a big difference between boxing and fighting. Boxing is limited fighting with a specific rule set. Fighting is true, where you can do anything.“Yeah, of course we are [talking about his rule set]. We’re talking about boxing. That’s it. But again, age waits for no man. He’s 40 years of age. He’s a little…he’s got a little head on him. Honestly, my fist is bigger than his head. I sleep people. I put people unconscious. I’m stating facts. If I hit that man, his head is gonna go into the bleachers. You understand that? If I crack that little head of his, it’s gonna go clean off his shoulders and up into the bleachers.
White: McGregor ‘will hit’ Mayweather
Appearing with Snoop Dogg, White says McGregor can beat Mayweather.
At the end of the day it’s a fight. Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old; Conor McGregor is 27. Conor’s a big dude. Floyd has trouble with southpaws; Conor McGregor is a southpaw. And Conor McGregor hits like a truck. When he hits you, you know it. So, in no way, shape or form am I saying Conor McGregor wins this fight. I don’t know. But it’s more interesting than people think it is. … I promise you Conor McGregor will hit him. When they fight (Mayweather) will get hit, and it will be interesting to see what happens.
Mayweather: ‘We are ready to go’
Mayweather is interviewed on Fox Live.
The only thing I do is have patience. No-one thought the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would happen, but I had patience. Do I believe the fight is going to happen. I really don’t know when, as of right now. But me and my side…we are ready to go. They sign on the dotted line, and [we start] at training camp…’Ready to go’ is when they sign…The hold up is that Conor McGregor has a baby that’s due. After the baby is due we can go from there…[Regarding money] you have to work your way to become the A-side. In the UFC, he is the A-side. This is Mayweather Promotions working with the UFC. We are the A-side because of the numbers, because of the PPV numbers. His largest guarantee was only $3 million, no more than $5 million.
