It looks like those comments made by Conor McGregor on world tour week have not been forgotten…
It’s business as usual in the combat sports world this week. August 26 is less than three weeks away, and of course, everyone is talking about Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor.
It seems like a lifetime ago the MayMac tour hit three countries in four days. Fans in LA, New York, Toronto and London saw all the theatrics both men had to offer. Aside from ‘YEAH!’ and ‘Point to the easy work,’ there were some extremely memorable moments from that week.
Perhaps the most debated comments came from McGregor, during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that was later deleted.
‘Dancing Monkeys’
We all remember McGregor’s comments at the presser, claiming he was ‘half black.’ But it was his statement on Kimmel that still has Mayweather feeling disrespected. Here’s what ‘The Notorious’ said:
“Rocky III?” McGregor said. “I’m trying to remember which one was Rocky III. Was that the one in the celebrity gym? I can’t remember if that’s the one with the dancing monkeys or not.” (allegedly referring to the scene with black boxers training at the gym…)
These comments are clearly still ringing in Mayweather’s ears, as he told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN:
Mayweather Says He’s Fighting For The Black People of America
(transcribed by MMA Fighting):
“I just didn’t like when he called us monkeys,” Mayweather said. “I think that was totally disrespect. … He called us monkeys. I didn’t like it. It didn’t push a button to make me jump out of my character and go crazy, but I didn’t like it.”
“I just thought about all our different leaders.Martin Luther King, Malcolm X. They went on the front line for me and my family and all my loved ones. Like I said before, this stuff still goes on. But I’m strong, I’m smart, patient. And come Aug. 26, I’ll be the same person — smart, strong, patient. And the same way he called us monkeys, we’re gonna see if he say that Aug. 26.”
“But this is for a cause. This is for the American people. This is for all the blacks around the world.”
Were McGregor’s comments misconstrued? Perhaps so, but Mayweather sees it as a disrespect to a race of people. Clearly, he is still motivated to fight, after appearing with more muscles than a seafood platter yesterday.
Perhaps McGregor’s comments, whether intended to be offensive or not, have given Floyd an extra bit of pep in his step. Either that or this is yet another ploy from the master Pay-per-view salesman as the date gets closer.
