Just when it seemed like all the talk about Floyd Mayweather Jr. fighting Conor McGregor died down, the fire got restarted.
In an interview with Steve Farhood during a Friday night boxing event on Showtime, Mayweather again talked up a fight against the UFC featherweight champion.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Getty Images)
"It's really not a rumor," Mayweather told Farhood. "The fight may happen. We really don't know, as of right now. As of right now. But do I think the fight will happen? Absolutely.
"We're the A-side, of course. It has to be a boxing match, because most fights that Conor McGregor won inside the Octagon, he was a stand-up guy. So I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a tough fight for me. We really don't know as of right now, but there's been a lot of talk, and hopefully we can make the fight happen."
Rumors have circulated if Mayweather does return to boxing, it won't be against the guy many boxing fans want to see — unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. It would either be a rematch with Manny Pacquiao or against the undefeated Danny Garcia. Mayweather hedged on if he would return, but insisted it wouldn't be against Golovkin. His sole focus isn't on Pacquiao or Garcia, it is on McGregor.
"I just look at the situation like this: Sugar Ray Leonard, he jumped up in weight. Roberto Duran jumped up in weight, Oscar De La Hoya jumped up in weight, Floyd Mayweather jumped up in weight, Pernell Whitaker jumped up in weight, Roy Jones jumped up in weight. So many legendary champions jumped up in weight. I jumped up in weight. When is GGG gonna jump up in weight?
"I proved myself over and over again. I'm not ducking or dodging GGG. I'm a businessman. My focus right now, if I was to get inside a ring and compete, only guy I'm thinking about right now, business-wise, is Conor McGregor."
McGregor is under UFC contract and would have to get approval to take such a fight. UFC president Dana White told the "Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday if Mayweather really wants to face McGregor, Mayweather should give White a call.
"We haven't talked about it," White said on the show.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, The Fight Club Chicago, and subscribe on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
