Tag: boxing

Dana White Implies Negotiations With Mayweather Are Going Well

When it was announced that UFC President Dana White and lightweight champion Conor McGregor had come to terms on a deal that would allow the brash Irishman to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing fight, many saw it as a major step in making the fight a reality. Others, however, saw it as quite less […]

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When it was announced that UFC President Dana White and lightweight champion Conor McGregor had come to terms on a deal that would allow the brash Irishman to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing fight, many saw it as a major step in making the fight a reality. Others, however, saw it as quite less given the notorious difficulty that typically comes with negotiating with the undefeated Mayweather.

Perhaps that isn’t the case though, as White, who recently spoke on the topic, implied that negotiations between the two sides are going well:

“I’m very bullish on this fight,” White said (Via MMAFighting.com). “I think it happens. These guys are gonna have to come up with something way out of left field for this fight not to happen.”

“We’re ready to go,” White said. “And I think what we’re looking at in the deal is as fair as fair can be. You’ve gotta understand, Floyd and [Al] Haymon and that group are used to dealing with the scummiest human beings on the planet Earth. I think it’s a little refreshing working with us. And I’m not just being arrogant. They’ve said that to us. I can see it getting done.” 

Despite this positive sign from the UFC boss, the fight may still be far from a done deal, as White said that he has yet to talk about a potential split between both sides with Team Mayweather. White, however, did say that he feels as if a ’50-50 (split) is pretty fair’:

“We haven’t even got there yet,” White said. “We haven’t even talked percentages yet. … Floyd can think whatever, but the machine that the UFC has and Conor McGregor alone is a machine by himself. I think that 50-50 is pretty fair.”

“I think this thing does, conservatively, between 2-1/2 and 4 million buys,” White said. “Other people think more. … And this thing will kill it, globally. Conor McGregor and the UFC are huge in Brazil, huge in Australia, massive in the UK and other parts of Europe.”

Despite McGregor’s obvious star power, White may very well be in over his head here. To draw a comparison, Mayweather received a 60-40 split for his record setting 2015 bout with fellow boxing star Manny Pacquiao. The fight turned out to be the biggest fight in pay-per-view history, garnering 4.6 million buys. It’d be hard to imagine Mayweather accepting a 50-50 split with McGregor with those numbers in mind.

What do you make of White’s most recent comments?

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Dana White Reacts To De La Hoya Blasting McGregor vs. Mayweather

Last week Oscar De La Hoya wrote a lengthy letter explaining why he is against the idea of allowing a superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor inside a boxing ring. De La Hoya feels that Mayweather’s highly-anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao, which turned out to be a 12 round snooze […]

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Last week Oscar De La Hoya wrote a lengthy letter explaining why he is against the idea of allowing a superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor inside a boxing ring.

De La Hoya feels that Mayweather’s highly-anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao, which turned out to be a 12 round snooze fest, dug boxing into a deep hole. He feels that a bout between McGregor and Mayweather would bury it even deeper.

McGregor vs. Mayweather is only one of two of the most highly-anticipated boxing fights of the year, as Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin is set to go down on September 16th – a fight De La Hoya himself is set to promote. The September date was originally the target date for the McGregor vs. Mayweather fight, per UFC President Dana White.

White took to Twitter earlier today (Wed. May 31, 2017) to comment on De La Hoya’s comments regarding McGregor vs. Mayweather, sharing a video that showed De La Hoya singing a different tune when the possibility of Conor McGregor fighting Canelo Alvarez was brought up (quotes via FOX Sports):

“To me, it will be a disrespect for boxing if a UFC fighter who has zero experience in boxing came and fought Floyd Mayweather,” De La Hoya said in the video posted by White on Twitter.

“Imagine Conor McGregor and Golden Boy [Promotions] coming together. The only fight that I would love to see and it’s the one that makes the most sense, that would be the most exciting, that would be a guaranteed knockout is against “Canelo” Alvarez,” De La Hoya said.

Although McGregor vs. Mayweather has been highly criticized by boxing purists, the anticipation for the event greatly outweighs the hate, and the bout is expected to be the biggest combat sporting event of all time. When two of the biggest cash cows in the history of fighting go head-to-head, a ton of cash is certain to be drawn towards “Money” and “The Notorious One’s” way.

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Quote: Mayweather vs. McGregor Will Be A ‘Frustrating’ Fight To Watch

A potential boxing match between the legendary Floyd “Money” Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion seems to moving towards the direction of becoming a reality. Both sides have expressed interest in a bout and McGregor has even come to terms on a deal with the UFC that would allow him to take on Mayweather inside the […]

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A potential boxing match between the legendary Floyd “Money” Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion seems to moving towards the direction of becoming a reality. Both sides have expressed interest in a bout and McGregor has even come to terms on a deal with the UFC that would allow him to take on Mayweather inside the squared circle.

While the potential showdown will likely be one of the most lucrative in the history of combat sports, few are expecting it to be a competitive fight given Mayweather’s undefeated record in professional boxing and McGregor’s lack of experience competing in pure boxing.

UFC color commentator and former welterweight contender Dan Hardy feels as if Mayweather’s defensive prowess, which has often led him to being considered a boring fighter, will frustrate the “Notorious” one:

“In a boxing match, it will be an exhibition of defensive boxing,” Hardy said  (Via MMAJunkie.com). “We’ll see Mayweather dance around for 12 rounds, and we’ll see McGregor get frustrated. In any other kind of combat sports McGregor murders him every day. But in boxing, we have to remember Mayweather is the best defensive boxer of all time.” 

“The Outlaw” also feels as if the bout will simply be ‘frustrating’ to watch for fans:

“Instead of thinking offense first, which most fighters would, Mayweather studies and watches, and he sees his opportunities,” Hardy said. “And he waits until later rounds when (his opponents) start to get tired until he picks them off. McGregor is excellent at landing his left hand when he can set it up with footwork and kicking and all these kind of things.

“But if he just keeps throwing that overhand left over and over again, Mayweather will stay out of the way of it, and it will be a frustrating thing for us all to watch.”

Do you share Hardy’s sentiment regarding the potential Mayweather vs. McGregor bout?

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Stipe Miocic Says He’d ‘Surprise’ People In Boxing Match With Anthony Joshua

With a potential boxing mega fight between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather seemingly closer than ever towards becoming a reality, the talk of cross over bouts between the two sports continues to soar. Most recently, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who happens to be a 2009 Cleveland Golden Gloves […]

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With a potential boxing mega fight between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather seemingly closer than ever towards becoming a reality, the talk of cross over bouts between the two sports continues to soar.

Most recently, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who happens to be a 2009 Cleveland Golden Gloves boxing champion as well as a National quarterfinalist, gave his thoughts on how he’d match up in a boxing match against reigning IBF, IBO and WBA (Super) heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua:

“If the fight happens, me against Joshua would be a great fight,” Miocic said appearance on “The MMA Hour.” “I think I’d surprise a lot of people, I think it’d be an amazing fight … let’s do it! He’s a great guy. He’s tough, he’s a champion for a reason. I think I’d give him a run for his money.”

Miocic has indeed used his hands to achieve much of his recent success, as he’s scored five consecutive T/KO victories, with four of them being in the first round over the heavyweight division’s elite. Joshua, however, is a former Olympian and is coming off of a thrilling knockout victory over legendary former champion Wladimir Klitschko.

The Telegraph

It’d be safe to assume that many in the combat sports community would hold Joshua as a serious favorite over Miocic in a boxing match, similar to how many are holding Mayweather as a massive favorite over McGregor. Miocic, however, while admitting that Joshua is the ‘best in the world’, feels as if he’d be ‘fine’ against the British knockout artist:

“I do a lot of boxing and I’ve boxed before, working on my boxing I think I’d be fine. “He’s a tough guy, he’s the best in the world. But, I’m pretty tough, too,” added Miocic.

Would you give Miocic any chance in a boxing match against Joshua?

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Floyd Mayweather Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Latest Callout

Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are so close to meeting inside the squared circle. For nearly a year a superfight between the UFC lightweight champion and the undefeated boxing legend has been discussed, and it wasn’t until recently when the fight became a potential reality. UFC President Dana White and McGregor have both confirmed […]

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Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are so close to meeting inside the squared circle.

For nearly a year a superfight between the UFC lightweight champion and the undefeated boxing legend has been discussed, and it wasn’t until recently when the fight became a potential reality. UFC President Dana White and McGregor have both confirmed that the Irishman’s side of things are done, as far as financial negotiations go, and all that awaits is Mayweather’s deal to get done.

As we previously mentioned, Mayweather was in attendance for Gervonta Davis’ (one of Mayweather’s fighters) IBF junior lightweight title defense in England over the weekend, where he was asked about potentially fighting McGregor. Mayweather stated that he believes the fight between he and “Mystic Mac” will happen (quotes via MMA Fighting):

““If me and Conor McGregor do happen to make the fight happen, which I think the fight will happen, I would love for [Davis] to be on the undercard. . . I had a great career, and my career may not be over. Number 50 may be against Conor McGregor, we’ll just wait and see.”

In the post-fight press conference, Mayweather was again asked about a possible McGregor bout and responded to McGregor coming to terms with Dana White for the fight. “Money” said that he’ll get together with his team soon and discuss what the next step is for him in his career:

“If he signed the contract – I’m over here working, I’m always working. . . When I get back over to the U.S., I’ll communicate with my team, I’ll call Al [Haymon, Mayweather’s manager], I’ll get Al and Leonard [Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions] on a business call to see what’s our next move. There’s no rush. When we do make the move, most likely it’s gonna be a huge move. You already know, when Floyd Mayweather fights, it’s history.

“If I do fight, it’s a 90 percent chance it’s against Conor McGregor.”

McGregor’s official Instagram

Mayweather continued to hype the superfight and said that he looks forward to signing his end of the deal, and looks forward to putting on another superfight for the combat sports world:

“They said Conor McGregor signed his end of the deal. I look forward to signing my end of the deal. I haven’t signed my end of the deal yet so once I get home, I’ll communicate with my team, I’ll talk with Al Haymon, I’ll talk with Leonard, and we’ll see what we come up with. We’ll put all our great minds together and we’re gonna have another superfight.”

If Mayweather and McGregor do share the ring it is sure to be a massive event – and the undefeated legend agrees:

“The next time Mayweather fights – if I fight, which most likely I will – I need a planet.”

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The stage is set for one of the biggest combat sporting events of all-time, regardless of if it’s holding up the UFC in a big way. Are you exciting for the fight to finally get signed as Mayweather is teasing, or could you go without paying to see it?

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Conor Calls Out Floyd: Sign Your End Or You’re Just A Mouth

Although it may not be the first choice among MMA fans for Conor McGregor’s next bout, the infamous Irishman appears to be on a set course for his long-rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Word recently arrived from UFC President Dana White that McGregor had signed off on his end of the deal and talks […]

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Although it may not be the first choice among MMA fans for Conor McGregor’s next bout, the infamous Irishman appears to be on a set course for his long-rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Word recently arrived from UFC President Dana White that McGregor had signed off on his end of the deal and talks were progressing towards negotiating with Mayweather and his management, something that we may not be exactly sure what truly entails and could certainly take a ton more time to officially get sorted out.

The legendary Mayweather is notoriously tough to negotiate with, as his oft-discussed bout with Manny Pacquiao was bickered over for years before it finally happened in 2015 when both fighters were out of their true athletic primes and the resulting product left much to be desired. Indeed Mayweather always wants all of the specifics to be in his favor whenever he signs on for a high-profile bout, but at this point in time, McGregor may actually be the bigger star than the 40-year-old “Money.”

So things could still move at a snail’s pace, so McGregor challenged Mayweather to get moving and sign his end of the bargain in a post to his official Instagram account today:

Solid work today. Sign your end Floyd or you are just a mouth.

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on

It’s a hardline stance from McGregor, who understandably wants the rumored nine-figure payday that comes with boxing arguably the greatest boxer of all-time in the undefeated Mayweather. For the UFC and MMA as a whole, it may not be as great, however, if the sport’s biggest star was thoroughly demolished by a boxing great who is out of his prime as most are predicting will happen.

There’s also the issue of the talented lightweight division currently being on hold and being held up for much longer if McGregor doesn’t defend his championship inside the octagon this year. Those issues probably don’t matter to McGregor, but they certainly could become detrimental to the promotion as a whole in the coming months.

The UFC is kind of hamstrung by their need for big-name fights, so they have to roll with McGregor vs. Mayweather as it’s clearly their best chance for a huge payday during a down year in 2017. If that’s a good thing for MMA remains to be seen.

First things first, though, and Mayweather obviously has to maneuver his way through the negotiations in order to actually make it to the fight, something that could realistically be many months away if it ever happens. Do you believe the always-choosy Mayweather is close to signing on to fight McGregor, or is the build-up simply reaching an all-time high without much to show for it?

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