Khabib Nurmagamedov v Floyd Mayweather is the Rumour That Just Won’t Go Away… The Russian Fighter’s Manager Ali Abdelaziz Insists That ‘Money’s’ Team is Begging ‘The Eagle’ to Fight… Really?
Floyd Mayweather is the wealthiest athlete on Forbes’s rich list. Throughout his career, nobody has been able to outmanoeuvre him financially. Even now that he’s more or less retired, he’s still able to conjure up incredibly lucrative bouts, against the likes of Conor McGregor and Tenshin Nasukawa.
Khabib Nurmgamedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, seems intent on making sure his client gets the next big payday against the man nicknamed ‘Money.’ He’s pushing for a shot against the US boxer, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
Typically incapable of keeping his mouth shut, Abdelaziz even went as far as saying that Mayweather’s team were begging for a match-up with the Russian UFC lightweight champion. Alright. We’ll believe that when we see it.
Begging
Abdelaziz told TMZ that he’s been in regular contact with the Mayweather’s camp. He seems to be trying to drive up interest in a fight that not many people want to happen. However, the rat manager said:
“He’s very much begging for the fight. I told him, I said he’s 57 years old, his body’s weak, he’s fragile, he’s got a small head. People think I’m crazy but I think Khabib would beat his ass. He thinks Khabib is easy money but Khabib is much younger, much stronger, more tougher than Conor, a guy that went to the eleventh round with him. And Conor gave up, he’s a quitter. Khabib is no quitter.”
Athlete
Abdelaziz also believes that Khabib will beat Mayweather because he is tougher. He said that the American is not a fighter – he’s an athlete. Tell that to the man who went 50-0 throughout his entire career. Khabib might be 27-0 in MMA, but there’s a big difference between his skillset and straight boxing.
“Listen, Floyd Mayweather is not a fighter, he’s an athlete. In the UFC, you have to be a full blown fighter. If we catch Floyd Mayweather on the streets, we’ll beat his ass because he can’t defend himself. He’s an athlete. He doesn’t have enough balls to fight in a real fight. Khabib will fight you in an elevator, phone booth, he’ll fight you anywhere.”
Nonsense
At the end of the day, Abdelaziz can’t be blamed for trying to talk up his fighter and close friend. Let’s be real though: there’s more chance of Amanda Nunes fighting T.J Dillashaw to unify the two bantamweight divisions this year than there is of Khabib beating Mayweather in a boxing match.
Khabib might be a fighter, but so is Conor McGregor – and the Irishman is a far better striker than his Russian counterpart. He might have a size advantage over Mayweather but he would really struggle to land on a man that the best boxers in the world couldn’t damage.
Nurmagamedov has solid MMA striking. However, he uses his hands and feet to support his wrestling and set-up takedowns. Sure, he’s capable of knocking someone down if he sees an opening, but he’s not a stand-up fighter. This might make him a lot of money, but it won’t win him any fans. And don’t forget: Mayweather is always the A-Side.
