Ahead of his clash with Conor McGregor on Saturday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. dished on the upcoming fight and other topics in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
As seen in the following video, Mayweather sat down with Helwani at his Girl Collection gentleman’s club in Las Vegas (Warning: some language NSFW):
When Helwani asked Mayweather whether he wanted to embarrass McGregor, “Money” gave a diplomatic response: “I want to compete against him. I want to test my skills against him. He wants to test his skills against me.”
Helwani also asked Mayweather about his game plan for the bout, to which the fighter replied that entertaining fans is a delicate balance: “If you knock him out fast, they’re upset. If you go the distance, they’re upset. If you go past four rounds, it was too many rounds. If you go one round, it was too short. So, it’s a catch-22. You can’t win with the fans.”
The 40-year-old veteran called McGregor “just another fighter that’s in my way,” although he did express excitement over the fight breaking the live-gate record of $72 million originally set in 2015 when he took on Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather has a long-running friendship with Justin Bieber and has even been escorted to the ring by Bieber in the past. According to TMZ Sports, however, Bieber unfollowed Mayweather on Instagram and has been “distancing himself” from the fighter after getting counsel from his church.
When Helwani asked about the Bieber situation, Mayweather replied, “I don’t know what’s going on with Justin Bieber. … He’s been dealing with church and with pastors. That’s what he’s been focused on, and I’ve been focused on my fight.”
Mayweather made similar comments during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Regardless of the drama, Mayweather is preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career, as he has an opportunity to improve to 50-0.
As one of the greatest boxers of all time, Mayweather will be a heavy favorite when he enters the ring at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to face McGregor, who will be competing in his first career professional boxing match.
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