Crazy, wild, and outlandish rumors are nothing new in the world of sports. Remember when we used to hear about certain athletes getting into car wrecks, and other celebrities dying unexpectedly? All it took was a website that looked semi-believable, and for the readers to neglect to scroll to the bottom page, where the legal disclaimers were slipped in.
The rumor mill has come up with a great one this time:
Most sports fans are probably aware that Floyd Mayweather is talking about coming out of retirement for one more fight. There has been a ton of speculation as to who he might take on. You'll never guess who the opponent is supposedly going to be – not Manny Pacquiao, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Adrien Broner, or Gennady Golovkin.
It's Conor McGregor.
The Sun, a UK publication, is claiming that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have agreed in principle to a fight. The two sides just need to finalize the purse and sign the paperwork, and they are expected to do so, soon.
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According to The Sun's source:
"It was agreed in principle on May 2, but Floyd wouldn't reveal the identity of his opponent until last night when he told friends he'll be fighting Conor."
The two sides have not agreed to a purse yet, but the Sun is reporting that Mayweather will take home $144.8 million while McGregor will get just $10.1 million. Why come out of retirement for someone other than a boxer? If you believe the source, it's because McGregor made him mad:
"Floyd went mad after Conor said he would crush him and knock him out in 30 seconds, he's obsessed with making Conor eat his words."
So – can we believe this is going to happen? That depends – do you want to buy some ocean front property in Arizona? Or maybe the Golden Gate Bridge? There are so many things that scream "false" with the story The Sun and its "source" are trying to sell.
Fighters talk trash all the time. Mayweather, like every other fighter, has been on the receiving end of it and has dished out plenty himself. He has responded to trash talk in the past with some of his own, but he has never been goaded into a fight. Trash talk has never appeared to bother Mayweather too much in the past, so why should it now?
Then there is the purse. The Sun wants us to believe Mayweather is going to get $144.8 million, and McGregor just $10.1 million. Who in their right mind would agree to such a split? If McGregor has shown us anything, it is that he knows his value and does not want to work for less than what he perceives it to be. He would be just as much of the draw as Mayweather in this fight. Floyd would insist on a bigger cut, but there is no way he would get a 95/5 split.
In the challenge he made to Mayweather, McGregor said he would take an 80/20 split to make the fight happen.
Besides, McGregor would have to break his contract with the UFC or buy it out (if he has a buyout clause). If he were willing to do that, he would insist on making a lot more than he ever has for a UFC event. Rumor has it he made $10-15 million for the Nate Diaz fight and would have been guaranteed $10 million for the rematch.
Why would he leave the UFC for the same amount of money he could make in the UFC? Easy – he wouldn't. It is a nice thought, and would probably make for an incredibly entertaining fight (or at least one incredible press conference), but don't count on it happening.
