Photo: UFC
The Mayweather vs McGregor four-city press tour kicked off in Los Angeles earlier today. Here are five noteworthy moments from the event.
Photo: SHOWTIME Boxing
At today’s press con, Conor McGregor walked out to his usual entrance music, The Foggy Dew. Nothing new, right? Wrong. This time, the Irish ballad was remixed with 50 Cent’s I Get Money, much to the excitement of the crowd. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the mash-up got cut rather anti-climactically as McGregor approached the stage.
Mayweather walked out to a mix of Meek Mill’s Ima Boss and Tyga’s Versace. Of course, the music only featured lines that referenced the boxer like, “At the fight we watchin’ Floyd we on the floor” and “I’m bout’ to join the money team, just holla’ to Floyd about it”.
Known for being a brash trash-talker, McGregor started his speech by ripping into Mayweather’s choice of attire: “He’s in a f##king track suit. He can’t even afford a suit anymore,” exclaimed McGregor.
The Irishman, who was dressed dapperly for the occasion, wore a bespoke pinstriped suit. A closer look reveals the pinstripes are formed by repeated lines of “F##k you”. The ambitious MMA fighter took the chance to announce his plans to release a line of suits in August.
McGregor then invoked Mystic Mac, and made a prediction that he would knock Mayweather out in four rounds.
That’s right. Mayweather said that he’d be willing to get in the Octagon with McGregor for an MMA match.
Mayweather proceeded to show off his US$100 million check from the fight against Pacquiao in May 2015, and turned to McGregor and said, “I’m the IRS and I’m gonna tax your ass”.
Hardly surprising, but it’s clear that McGregor has more fans on his side. The Irish MMA fighter was cheered after every joke, insult, and statement, while Mayweather’s antics were repeatedly met with jeers. Even Showtime chief Stephen Espinoza was booed when he started talking about Mayweather’s legacy. It’s not always about Money.
As with most combat sport press cons, the final moments of the event saw McGregor and Mayweather staring down at each other. Standing inches away from each other’s faces, both fighters engaged in a war of words, much to the delight of the crowd.
Despite McGregor being the fan favorite, we believe Mayweather had a slight edge this round because he barely flinched as McGregor rained insults down on him. On the other hand, the Notorious one seemed pretty riled up during Mayweather’s speech.
The Mayweather vs McGregor fight takes place August 26, 2017. The next stop of their global press tour is Toronto, Canada.
Check out the full press conference video below.
Read more: Floyd Mayweather is Fighting Conor McGregor to Pay Tax Bill