While UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been preparing to defend his title against Chris Weidman on Saturday, boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather has been doing his media rounds ahead of his own championship bout against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
When asked about Silva by a member of the assembled media recently, Mayweather did not seem interested in speaking about athletes outside of boxing. ENewsReporting.com captured video of Mayweather’s response in the below video.
Honestly, it’s refreshing to hear a boxer recognize that their sport is completely different from MMA. So many before Mayweather have remarked that they could step right into the Octagon and take out top-notch UFC fighters under MMA rules. Still, Mayweather didn’t make it through his reply without throwing some kind of verbal jab at Silva.
“Sir,” Mayweather interrupted. “My man, this is boxing. I’m not disrespecting nobody. I respect the guys and whatever they do, but this is boxing. I don’t know that guy. Tell me he’s been on top for 17 years?”
A media member responded by saying that Silva had been on top for 12 years, which is inaccurate, as he dethroned Rich Franklin seven years ago. At the same time, Mayweather’s claim that he’s been on top for 17 years is also misleading unless one considered him to be the best immediately after he won his first pro boxing bout against winless Mexican pugilist Roberto Apodaca.
Regardless, Mayweather was able to do some quick math.
“Well, five more to go,” he said. “Half a decade to go. Then, talk to me.”
The 38-year-old Silva is unlikely to keep it going for that long, but he’ll try to continue his reign at UFC 162 in Las Vegas, where he’ll meet Weidman. Mayweather, meanwhile, is set to square off with Canelo on Sept. 14 in the very same MGM Grand Garden Arena that Silva will compete in on Saturday.
Sean Smith is a Featured MMA Columnist for Bleacher Report who has also had work promoted on UFC.com and TheMMACorner.com. Follow on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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