While UFC lightweight champion “The Notorious” Conor McGregor mulls a move into the boxing world with a lucrative megabout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Lots of drama from both camps has arisen as is typical with any endeavor involving boxing’s pound-for-pound king.
Not only Mayweather. But add to that the UFC and its President, Dana White, who has vowed to battle McGregor every step of the way. If the brash Irish champion chooses to leave the organization out of talks and negotiations.
McGregor expressed his intent in a recent interview to emulate Mayweather’s business model. Mayweather of course is self-promoted. Once handled by Top Rank and Golden Boy, two of the biggest promotional companies in boxing. Mayweather chose to break free of the mold and instead put up Mayweather promotions.
The Two Could Fight in a Massive Crossover Bout
By having his own company, Mayweather ensures that he receives the majority of the profits. As a result, Mayweather has become history’s highest paid athlete. As such, McGregor Promotions was born in an attempt to follow the Mayweather business model.
With both Mayweather and McGregor having their own promotional companies. They can possibly work out a deal for the two fighters to face each other atop the boxing ring. And a blockbuster showdown would seem inevitable. However, a Mayweather-McGregor bout is proving to be extremely difficult to put together.
Historically, it has been difficult for fighters to make a bout with Mayweather. The brash Las Vegas native is notoriously dominant in negotiations. Naturally, Mayweather’s aim is to sway all aspects into his favor. He has mentioned previously that negotiations represent the first round of battle in a fight.
McGregor However Seems to be Getting Tired of Negotiating with Mayweather
It seems McGregor is growing tired of Mayweather’s out-of-the-ring antics and just wants to compete. In a recent interview with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, McGregor was quoted as saying:
“Maybe f*ck Floyd. Maybe f*ck the A-side. Maybe I’ll just fight [Manny] Pacquiao instead. Why not do that? Why not fight Manny and f*ck Floyd?” McGregor said.
Pacquiao, 38, like Mayweather is considered one of the biggest boxing stars in history. For a period of time, Pacquiao enjoyed worldwide fan following that rivaled even Mayweather’s popularity.
Manny Pacquiao Could Step in as a Viable Option for McGregor
The Filipino recently expressed his interest in fighting McGregor should the Mayweather negotiations fall through.
“In boxing? In boxing, but not in UFC, just boxing,” said Pacquiao.
While a Mayweather-McGregor matchup hangs in the balance, a Pacquiao fight remains a viable option for the two-division UFC champion. In fact, if Mayweather is unable to come to terms with McGregor, fans believe a matchup against Pacquiao could do just as good financially due to the Filipino’s fan following which remains very strong despite the fighter’s decline.
