Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks set for a potential return to competitive action, although he has stopped short of confirming if it will be in mixed martial arts. The five-weight world champion boxer has teased an unlikely appearance in the UFC over the past few weeks, reigniting his rivalry with lightweight champion Conor McGregor
“Money” announced his retirement following August 2017’s bout with McGregor, and both men are yet to be involved in competitive action since then.
While McGregor’s highly-lucrative boxing debut against a man regarded as the greatest defensive fighter of all time failed to live up to the extraordinary build up, there is undoubtedly the potential to make another truckload of cash. Any indication that Mayweather and McGregor would be up for a second bout would invariably be encouraged by those around them, who also stand to profit.
It appears that Mayweather is certainly considering a rematch. During a recent interview with Forbes, the 50-0 boxing legend gave a cryptic response.
“Will you guys ever see me in a boxing ring again? I don’t know,” he pondered. “We don’t know if it’s a boxing ring, or maybe an Octagon. There’ve been talks about another multi-billion dollar deal. We’ll just see.”
Make an official prediction — Will Floyd Mayweather fight in the UFC in 2018?
— MMA News (@mmanews_com) February 12, 2018
Mayweather scoffed at speculation that he would be lured back to fighting due to financial need and insists he gets paid many different ways.
“What’s next for me? New restaurants, NBA team — I’m thinking about buying an NBA team,” Mayweather added. “Of course my real estate portfolio is amazing, billions in real estate. We all know that a boxer only makes money when he’s boxing. But with New York real estate, you make money when you sleep.”
In the meantime, you can probably expect him to continue trolling Conor McGregor on social media until he has more definitive news for us.
Certified Killa vs Certified Bitch pic.twitter.com/N0GcWrycEL
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 11, 2018