Mayweather: If McGregor stole my blueprint … good

On May 6, a report surfaced in Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun that UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and the greatest boxer of his generation, Floyd Mayweather Jr, would shortly announce they’d be boxing in Vegas. The next day Mayweather Sr confirmed the pair would be fighting.

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan speculated about how and why the UFC could allow it to take place. FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd said it was really happening, and gave the date – September 17. Mayweather said “absolutely” the fight was happening. UFC president Dana White said he was open to discussion, but it began with elbows, kicks, AND punches. McGregor and Mayweather even fought in a bar on April 1st!

In July, McGregor’s team released footage of ‘Notorious’ boxing sparring with former world boxing champion Chris Van Heerden. Van Heerden said Mayweather would outbox McGregor all day, and that set off more weeks of chatter.

However, over and again White noted that Floyd had never called him. And McGregor’s contract with the UFC forbids him from participating in other combat sports without permission, so the fight had to go through White. The pair had been amiable acquaintances when White was getting started in combat sports management before he put together the plan to buy the UFC.

Eventually, Mayweather conceded that the fight wasn’t happening. All, bizarrely, without calling Dana White.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Mayweather was asked if it will ever happen.

“You know what a lot of people don’t know is … within my company, I’m the boss,” said Mayweather, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. “I call the shots. And I think that the fight is very difficult to make, because, I mean, I mean, you know I tried to make that fight before, it didn’t happen. But you live and you learn.”

Mayweather was asked if he agreed that McGregor had borrowed some of his act on the ‘Money’ persona.

“If he did take anything [from me], if he did steal my blueprint, then I think it’s a good thing,” said Mayweather. “I think he’s a hell of a fighter. He can fight. He can box real good. As far as stand up, he’s very good, at stand up fighting. Everyone keeps asking me ‘are we going to fight?’ I just don’t know.”

Will we see Mayweather fight again?

“Man, I’m loving retirement,” he replied. “But, you know, for a couple more bucks you just don’t know.”

The real question is “Hey Floyd, why didn’t you call Dana White?” And why don’t you call him now?