Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor pull back on barbs ahead of bout
— -- LAS VEGAS -- After the wild, crazy, profane and totally over-the-top four-city media tour that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor embarked on last month to promote their megafight -- in which they berated, insulted and cursed at each other stop after stop, whipping huge crowds into a frenzy -- the final prefight news conference at the MGM Grand was for media only and as low-key as it gets.
It began without the fighters even present while others involved in the event said their piece. Only after the tardy McGregor arrived did Mayweather also come out to the stage.
Other than McGregor throwing out a few insults and curses to a member of Mayweather's entourage for heckling him, it was a staid affair. The fighters, it appears, are all talked out after the brief but intense buildup to a fight that was finalized in mid-June.
Now they are just a few days away from their massively hyped 12-round junior middleweight boxing match on Saturday (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
McGregor, making the move to boxing from UFC, where he is one of the most dominant mixed martial arts fighters in the world, took notice of a news conference that felt like a study hall.
"We done a lot of these crazy press conferences. This is a bit more subdued, a lot more businesslike, the way I like it -- sometimes," McGregor said.
Though a novice boxer making his professional debut against an all-time great, McGregor continued to try to make the case that he has what it takes to pull off what many would consider the biggest upset in sports history.
"We are prepared for 12 three-minute rounds of nonstop pace, and I will go forward and I will put the pressure on him and break this old man, trust me on that," said McGregor, who is 29, while Mayweather is 40 and coming out of a two-year retirement. "We are more than ready."
McGregor also made the case that the Nevada State Athletic Commission's decision to allow them to use 8-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10-ounce gloves for fights over 147 pounds -- this one is at a maximum of 154 pounds -- was to his advantage.
Ireland's McGregor wanted the size reduction, Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs), of Las Vegas, went along with it, and the commission agreed to grant a waiver. McGregor is used to fighting UFC bouts in 4-ounce fingerless gloves.
"Eight-ounce gloves, [Mayweather] made a big, big error in my opinion," McGregor said. "I don't see him lasting two rounds. I feel I [could] end it inside one. He messed up with the 8-ounce gloves. I'm very, very happy with the eight. We usually fight in four [in UFC]. Keep your hands up, keep your hands down. I don't really care. I'm gonna break through whatever's in front of me and that's it.
"I will go out, and I will perform. I'm gonna outbox this man at his own game. ... I'm gonna f--- this boy up. Make no mistake. And when it's all said and done, you know what? I'm gonna feel a little bit sad because you all shoulda kept your mouth shut. You shoulda left me over in that game where I'm from. This man is not on my level. He's not even a quarter of the man I am."
Mayweather plans to return to retirement following the fight. He exited for this most unlikely of fights because of the massive money he stands to earn, possibly more than the $250 million or so he made for his welterweight world title unification victory against Manny Pacquiao in their long-awaited showdown in 2015.
Mayweather spent a good deal of his time at the podium thanking those who have supported his career. It was like he was saying his goodbyes, knowing this is truly going to be his final fight.
Then he turned his attention to the bout.
"A lot of time we come to these press conferences [and] we need to conduct ourselves in an orderly fashion because when it comes down to it, it's the two fighters," he said. "Everybody can talk about betting, everybody can talk about what is going to happen, what's not going to happen. At the end of the day, it comes down to me and the guy I'm competing against. When it's all said and done, one thing I know I can do -- I can fight. I can give it, and I can take it. But for me to be 49-0, it's obvious I'm not receiving, I'm giving it.
"Now it comes down to the two competitors. It comes down to me and Conor McGregor going out there, displaying our skills and giving the fans what they want to see. It's the best fighting the best. He's the best at what he do, I'm the best at what I do. But when it's all said and done, Conor McGregor is like myself. In the Octagon, he's undefeated standing up. But it comes down to the skills. After 21 years, I've been hit with everything and I'm still right here. One thing that you must know about the sport of boxing and about combat sports -- remember, if you give it, you must be able to take it."
Mayweather, not known as a knockout artist, has guaranteed he will end this one by knockout.
"I was born a fighter. I will die a fighter," he said. "[Saturday], he's going to bring his best. And it's not going to be easy, Conor.
"Pacquiao's got bombs, Canelo's [Alvarez] got bombs, Shane Mosley had bombs, and all those guys [I have faced] are going in the Hall of Fame. One thing about me, I've got a granite chin. Remember this. The same way you give it, you have to be able to take it."