Mayweather raises prospect of possible McGregor bout
Floyd Mayweather continues to stoke the fires of a possible return to the ring after the retired multi-division champion dropped hints of a potential bout against outspoken Irish mixed-martial arts fighter Conor McGregor.
With a recent report claiming the two headliners were discussing a fight, Mayweather advanced the speculation on the sidelines of the Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan clash in Las Vegas at the weekend.
"It's possible. It's possible. There was a name that was shot at me," Mayweather told FightHype.com. "But the rumors that y'all have been hearing (are) the rumors I started. It may not be a rumor. Keep your fingers crossed."
The 39-year-old American retired last September after accumulating a 49-0 record during a 19-year career that produced world titles in five weight divisions and earnings in excess of $800 million.
He has hardly faded from the scene, however, and Mayweather appeared at ringside following boxer Adrien Broner's victory over Ashley Theophane last month.
PHOTOS OF FLOYD MAYWEATHER:
Broner then verbally challenged Mayweather, who laughed off that taunt but he did recently allude to a comeback in an interview with Showtime, bringing along with it whispers of a possible rematch against Manny Pacquiao.
Dubbed 'The Fight of the Century' by promoters, their long-awaited showdown on May 2 last year was a disappointing affair, as Mayweather easily outpointed his Filipino opponent in a low-key and ultra-defensive encounter.
However, one more win would put Mayweather ahead of heavyweight great Rocky Marciano, who also retired with a perfect 49-0 career record.
"It's not important," Mayweather told FightHype.com of the record. "I didn't let a sport retire me. I was able to retire from a sport and quit on my own terms." UFC featherweight champion McGregor was dropped from his rematch against welterweight Nate Diaz at UFC 200 in July for refusing to attend a news conference to promote the event.
PHOTOS OF CONOR MCGREGOR:
McGregor, who was choked into submission in a non-title bout against Diaz in March, subsequently hinted that he could retire before making an aborted attempt to get back on the card.
In response to speculation about a possible meeting with Mayweather, the Irishman tweeted a mock promotional poster of the two fighters face-to-face with the caption "MMA Vs Boxing."