The undefeated former welterweight king, who is coming out of retirement to fight McGregor in Las Vegas, said he had spotted rabbit punches in footage of McGregor’s sparring session with Paulie Malignaggi. McGregor, who has never fought in a professional boxing contest, appears to floor Malignaggi in the footage.
Mayweather, 40, was unimpressed. “I had a chance to see it and my thought were, it was interesting,” Mayweather said of McGregor’s Malignaggi knockdown. “A lot of rabbit punching, a lot of illegal shots, behind the head,” he added.
McGregor has hired veteran referee Joe Cortez during his training camp to help advise on boxing rules and ensure he fights clean. “He’s had Joe Cortez in his training camp and I’ve still seen him being extremely dirty,” Mayweather said.
Veteran referee Robert Byrd will be responsible for managing the fight and Mayweather is confident he will maintain control of the contest. Byrd officiated in Mayweather’s 2013 win over Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas.
“I truly believe the referee is going to do a great job,” Mayweather said. “The referee’s job is to keep the fight clean. He don’t have anything to worry about. I’m looking forward to following the Queensberry rules of boxing,” he added.
Mayweather retired from boxing in 2015 with a perfect 49-0 record to emulate former heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano. A win against McGregor would see the welterweight become the only man to ever hold a perfect 50-0 record.
Mayweather insisted however that moving clear of Marciano’s historic benchmark was not on his mind. “Even though this is my 50th fight, this is not my focus,” Mayweather said. “Rocky Marciano is a legend, he did it his way. I just like to do it the Mayweather way.”
Win or lose, Mayweather is adamant that nothing will be able to tempt him back into the ring following his return against McGregor. He reiterated an earlier statement that this month’s fight will be his last.
“This is my last one. I gave my word to (adviser) Al Haymon, I gave my word to my children, I don’t want to break that,” Mayweather said. “I’m going to stick to my word — this is going to be my last fight.”
Mayweather struck a reflective tone as he discussed the risk of coming out of retirement for a massive payday. “When a fighter has lost before, if he loses again they say ‘oh, it’s nothing, he’s lost before,’” Mayweather said. “But when a fighter has been dominating for 20-some years and never lost, everything is on the line. My legacy. My boxing record. Everything is on the line.”
The fight, which the two combatants promoted with a four-city international media tour stretching across three countries, has garnered plenty of interest despite scepticism about how competitive it will be.
Mayweather, a master defensive technician and tactician, is heavily favoured to win the fight but the 40-year-old has said that, on paper, everything leans toward the 29-year-old Irishman, who is taller and has a longer reach.
Mayweather acknowledged the physical demands of training for a fight had become much harder on his body than when in his prime, but said he did not let negative thoughts enter his mind. “I try not to think about losing or taking the ‘L.’ That’s not really my focus. Every day I tell myself I am a winner. I was born to be a winner at life. Not just in the ring but I was born to be a winner,” said Mayweather.
“It’s all about taking risk. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t take risks so I don’t mind putting a 49-0 record on the line, putting everything on the line for this fight. I feel like it’s worth it.”
Mayweather may be far from his prime but feels his sheer experience in the ring will carry him through. “I don’t think that I’m the same Floyd Mayweather that I was 21 years ago. Of course not,” he said.
“I don’t think that I’m the same Floyd Mayweather that I was 10 years ago. I’m, not even the same Floyd Mayweather that I was I was five or two years ago. But I still have a high IQ in that ring. And experience wise, it leans towards me, period, because I have been in the ring at such a high level for so long.”
Pacquiao vs Horn rematch likely confirmed soon, says Arum
Brisbane: Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum is “optimistic” a rematch between his fighter and Jeff Horn will be confirmed in the next few days, he said on Thursday. Arum said the parties in Australia were eyeing a November date in the same Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane where Horn beat Pacquiao in controversial circumstances last month.
A temporary cover would be constructed at the outdoor arena to cover the ring and the first 10 rows of spectators, a precaution in case of rain, he said. “Manny’s on board, Horn’s on board,” Top Rank promoter Arum said in a telephone interview. “The parties in Australia are meeting the Queensland government authorities on Saturday and hopefully the meeting goes well.”
Horn’s surprise welterweight victory over Pacquiao allowed the Filipino to trigger a rematch clause. Many observers thought 38-year-old Pacquiao had clearly won and were outraged by the unanimous decision to Horn. A World Boxing Organization scoring review later endorsed Horn as the rightful winner. “I wasn’t outraged,” Arum said. “I thought it was very close.”
He added that the WBO would submit a list of three potential referees and 10 judges for the rematch, and that both camps would agree on which to use.