Floyd Mayweather says he and Conor McGregor have entered talks about a rematch in 2023, and that he would prefer it to be an exhibition, but a “real fight” has also been discussed, presumably a sanctioned one that boasts professional records.
Mayweather, who turns 46 next February, hasn’t had an actual sanctioned fight since his 2017 victory over McGregor, and prior to that he hadn’t fought since a 2015 win over Andre Berto.
From Sportsmail:
“We don’t know if it’s going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there have been talks of both. I would prefer an exhibition. … I don’t like fights where I’m going to take real punishment. So guys like Conor McGregor and guys who don’t really hit hard, like YouTubers or guys from the UFC, I don’t really mind clashing with those types of guys, but nothing that I’m going to put myself in a position where I’m going to get hurt or hurt me.”
I’m dying to hear the MMA/UFC fans’ reaction to Mayweather saying his guys hit as hard as the YouTubers.
Mayweather, who still has a 50-0 record (27 KOs) in boxing, will return to action this weekend in Japan, facing MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition match at the RIZIN big show.
He says he plans to have another exhibition before the year is out, possibly in Dubai, and then do the McGregor fight, whatever it turns out to be, next year.
Mayweather vs. McGregor was, of course, a monster pay-per-view hit in 2017, as McGregor was at the height of his commercial appeal and a huge star for the UFC. His switch to boxing against the elderly and functionally retired Mayweather didn’t pay off much in the ring, but it did at the box office, and they both made a lot of money.
There is absolutely no hope that a 2023 rematch, even if it were a totally real fight, could match what they did before, but it would also be a good amount of money, most likely. McGregor has lost a lot of shine, but he still has star power, just like Mayweather, and fight fans of all stripes love the nostalgia of him.
