With two weeks remaining until the boxing super fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, the two superstars are set to participate in respective media workouts from their own gyms this week. Today, it’s ‘Money’s’ turn as he’ll open his gym up to members of the media starting this evening at 5:00 p.m. EST. […]
With two weeks remaining until the boxing super fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, the two superstars are set to participate in respective media workouts from their own gyms this week.
Today, it’s ‘Money’s’ turn as he’ll open his gym up to members of the media starting this evening at 5:00 p.m. EST. Watch the video streaming live here:
With only two-and-half weeks remaining until the ultra-hyped boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, the onus of promoting the bout seems to have curiously fallen on ranting former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi, whose sparring drama with ‘The Notorious’ has ruled any and all talk about the fight lately. The scene […]
With only two-and-half weeks remaining until the ultra-hyped boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, the onus of promoting the bout seems to have curiously fallen on ranting former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi, whose sparring drama with ‘The Notorious’ has ruled any and all talk about the fight lately.
The scene has created a far cry from last month’s world tour, where both stars earned mixed reviews for their promotional hype throughout an exhausting four-city, three-country whirlwind. The most groan-worthy moments undoubtedly centered on McGregor’s supposed racism when he told Mayweather to ‘dance for me, boy,’ before denying any accusations of racism as he claimed to be ‘black from the bellybutton down’ before humping the air for his ‘beautiful black female fans.’
According to a report from MMA Fighting, however, it was actually a moment that occurred backstage during an interview for Jimmy Kimmel Live in Toronto where McGregor was faced with a question about Rocky 3, to which he asked, ‘Is that the one with the dancing monkeys in the gym?’ It’s uncertain just what he meant, but the general opinion was that he was referring to a scene where Rocky Balboa trains at an all-black gym. The clip has since been taken offline.
It’s a bad look for McGregor to be certain, and although he doesn’t seem to care much about that perception, Mayweather is clearly growing tired of it. His previously voiced concerns became more prevalent during an interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s SportsCenter last night, where he described his disapproval of McGregor’s questionable interview:
“I just didn’t like when he called us monkeys,” Mayweather said. “I think that was totally disrespect. … He called us monkeys. I didn’t like it. It didn’t push a button to make me jump out of my character and go crazy, but I didn’t like it.”
Mayweather then hearkened back to African American pioneers like Malcolm X, giving respect to what they’ve accomplished but also acknowledging the racism that still exists. With that established, “Money” said he was a patient man, and McGregor’s day would come on August 26:
“I just thought about all our different leaders. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X. They went on the front line for me and my family and all my loved ones. Like I said before, this stuff still goes on. But I’m strong, I’m smart, patient. And come Aug. 26, I’ll be the same person — smart, strong, patient. And the same way he called us monkeys, we’re gonna see if he say that Aug. 26.”
And in closing, Mayweather devoted his performance to all black people in the world:
“No different,” Mayweather said. “But this is for a cause. This is for the American people. This is for all the blacks around the world.”
Days after former boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi and Conor McGregor met in a highly-publicized sparring session at the UFC Performance Institute in as Vegas, Nevada, Malignaggi has apparently left the McGregor camp after a late night rant against his now-former training partner. After the session reportedly got a bit ‘out of control’ according to Joe […]
Days after former boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi and Conor McGregor met in a highly-publicized sparring session at the UFC Performance Institute in as Vegas, Nevada, Malignaggi has apparently left the McGregor camp after a late night rant against his now-former training partner.
After the session reportedly got a bit ‘out of control’ according to Joe Cortez, the referee brought in to oversee the action, Malignaggi posted on Twitter that some of the pictures of the session posted on social media were misrepresented, especially one that made him look like he had been dropped to the ground when he was allegedly pushed.
Here is the photo in question:
Malignaggi offered his view that he fell down from a push, prodding McGregor and his camp to release the full video of their sparring session:
Its not nice 2 paint a pic that isn't true, this was a pushdown in sparring, post the whole video rounds 1 through 12 UNEDITED https://t.co/R82BLiMMVm
Malignaggi then tried to set the record completely straight, claiming that he had ‘beat McGregor’s ass’ and wants the full video of the session posted because the time to not be petty is clearly over:
I actually beat his ass, 24 hrsoff a flight 2 lol, which is why Im saying post the vid, I try not 2 be petty but seems it's late 4 that now. https://t.co/vSE2Iw4ffM
And as a code between fighters, professionals usually don’t do interviews about sparring sessions in order to keep what they saw in the gym, but when McGregor began leaking photos that were from his official photographer – the only photographer allowed in the room – he was forced to defend himself:
I did interview BECAUSE of the pics, I'm not ur average sparring partner u post pics with me media will hound me, I've said stop with pics. https://t.co/9c85977PQ5
Malignaggi continued blasting McGregor supporters, telling another to stop ‘inventing his own reality’:
Only his personal photographers allowed in the gym. Don't just invent you're own reality of things because it's how u wish it to be buddy. https://t.co/OsnN2AkL56
Finally, Malignaggi posted a lengthy Instagram response revealing he was officially leaving McGregor’s training camp and would divulge the reasons why later:
So McGregor’s highest profile sparring partner has left his camp 22 days away from the circus-like event in Las Vegas, mainly be cause he didn’t like how he was portrayed in photographs that he believes were engineered to only show McGregor in a favorable light.
With no professional boxing matches on his record, it could be assumed that McGregor needed to puff himself up by only allowing his official photographer in the room and posting only pictures that were favorable to him.
Perhaps Malignaggi got tagged and had his pride hurt a bit too, but as the former boxing champion noted, we’ll never know until they release the full video of the sparring session, and that doesn’t seem like a likely occurrence at this time.
Yesterday, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. continued his trash talk battle with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor by stating he was willing to go down to eight-ounce gloves for their anticipated boxing fight on August 26 from Les Vegas, Nevada. “Money” made a post on Instagram that claimed to be ‘helping’ McGregor to gain any […]
Yesterday, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. continued his trash talk battle with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor by stating he was willing to go down to eight-ounce gloves for their anticipated boxing fight on August 26 from Les Vegas, Nevada.
“Money” made a post on Instagram that claimed to be ‘helping’ McGregor to gain any advantage he could for the fight with an undefeated all-time great boxing champ, as compared to his professional boxing record which contains no fights:
“Whatever advantage McGregor needs to feel more comfortable in the ring, I’m willing to accommodate. Let’s give the boxing and MMA fans what they want to see,”
A barb disguised as a concession, McGregor quickly saw through his legendary counterpart’s ruse and posted his own response on Instagram that focused on the fact he fights with four-ounce gloves and doesn’t care what they use in the fight:
A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on
‘The Notorious’ poked fun at Mayweather’s size as he often has, also adding a jab at this oft-broken hands before proclaiming he would be coming out ‘sprinting with bricks’:
“Another handy 12 rounds today. We are prepared to destroy Floyd. Pick whatever size gloves you want as well little man. I fight with 4oz. I don’t give a fuck about the size of the glove. I am coming sprinting at you with bricks. Know that. Brittle hands.”
The UFC champ is preparing for the 12-round bout by going that full distance in training, but questions remain about the Irish megastar’s ability to truly hold up that long after he appeared to tire as his two bouts with Nate Diaz drug on. As for the glove size, the contracts have already been signed and it seems like it would be almost impossible to make any changes to the original fight agreement thus far.
The stage is set, the stipulations have been agreed upon regardless of this offer, and the combat sports has 24 days left to wait until the biggest spectacle the fight game has ever seen.
Now that last weekend’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) blockbuster UFC 214 from Anaheim, Calif., is officially in the rearview mirror, the focus of the combat sports world will shift to the massive boxing super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on August 26 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout has been called […]
Now that last weekend’s (Sat., July 29, 2017) blockbuster UFC 214 from Anaheim, Calif., is officially in the rearview mirror, the focus of the combat sports world will shift to the massive boxing super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on August 26 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout has been called a farce by some and the most anticipated combat sports bout of all-time by others, but only one thing is truly certain: the fight is going to sell, and it’s going to sell big. A large part of that is due to the hype and promotion McGregor brings, his brash style somehow placing him as a smaller underdog than many of Mayweather’s recent opponents despite him never having stepped into a professional boxing match.
That outspoken, at-times controversial style of trash talk has the 49-0 Mayweather hearkening back to his early days as one of the finest talkers in the fight game, and never was that more evident than during the pair’s recent four-city world tour to promote the bout in a series of press conferences a few weeks back. With tickets now on sale, SHOWTIME Sports released the first official commercial today.
The video flaunts the wealth and lavishness of both ultra-rich superstars of their sports, something both fighters did exceptionally well during the world tour. Check out the 30-second video that touts the fight as one where ‘kings will collide’ right here:
How would a UFC star fare in the boxing ring? That’s the question everybody seems to be debating in the build-up to Conor McGregor’s blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather on August 26th, but it’s worth keeping in mind that ‘The Notorious’ is far from the first UFC fighter to have fought in the squared circle. […]
That’s the question everybody seems to be debating in the build-up to Conor McGregor’s blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather on August 26th, but it’s worth keeping in mind that ‘The Notorious’ is far from the first UFC fighter to have fought in the squared circle.
In all fairness, the circumstances surrounding McGregor Vs Mayweather are unique. We’ve never seen anything of this magnitude before – a UFC champion at the peak of their career head to the boxing ring, let alone agreeing to face one of that sport’s all-time greats.
Nevertheless, there are a number of fighters currently fighting in the UFC who do have professional boxing bouts on their records, often from much earlier in their career’s, and in this article, we’ll take a closer look at how they did – from the good and the bad through the downright ugly.
Anderson Silva
One of MMA’s all-time greats, Anderson Silva has also tested his skills in the boxing ring twice during his combat sports career.
His pro boxing debut took place in his native Brazil all the way back in 1998 when he was just 23 years old. At the time he was only just getting started in his MMA career too, with both of his wins at the time having come during a single-night tournament a year earlier.
Despite his lack of experience, Silva was handed a tough first outing against Osmar Luiz Teixeira, a cruiserweight (200 pounds) who held an 8-2 boxing record and had finished six of his fights inside the distance.
No video or photographs exist of the fight, but officially it was recorded as a victory for Teixeira due to Silva retiring after the second round, allegedly due to body shots.
After a two year absence, Silva returned to MMA, and by 2005 had amassed a 15-3 record, but after surpisingly being released by the PRIDE organization, he briefly opted to return to the boxing ring.
This time he faced Julio Cesar de Jesus, a newcomer who would prove to be no match for Silva’s by-now seasoned striking and was finished with punches to the body and head in the second round.
It wasn’t long before Silva signed for the UFC and he would go on to achieve superstardom as their long-reigning middleweight champion, but over the years he’s also harbored an ambition to fight legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr in the ring.
However, despite both indicating their interest in the match-up, this particular super fight has never come to fruition.