By all accounts, Conor McGregor’s first foray into boxing was a resounding success for the Irishman. The mixed martial artist didn’t win, but he far surpassed the expectations of most boxing analysts. Floyd Mayweather pulled away as the fight wore on and McGregor got gassed, eventually defeating the UFC star by technical knockout in the 10th round.
Mayweather showed respect for McGregor after the match, calling him a champion and saying he performed better than Mayweather expected.
Floyd’s father, however, still has no love for McGregor. After the match, Floyd Mayweather Sr. said he was unimpressed.
“I haven’t ever seen somebody talking like the way he talk,” Mayweather Sr. said of McGregor. “And then to go out there and fight like that? That was pathetic, I thought. Specifically because of all the illegal punches he did, hitting someone in the back of the head. All that kind of stuff, it’s crazy man. He ain’t showing me no boxing. I ain’t seen nothing. Rabbit punches I see.”
Mayweather Sr. and McGregor got into an intense shouting match during McGregor’s media scrum in July, so it’s not too surprising that there’s still some resentment there.
Mayweather Sr. addressed criticism of Mayweather Jr.’s performance in the fight.
“I wouldn’t worry about it anyways,” he replied. “Because as I told my son in the corner, I said ‘When he gets tired, he’s gonna get real tired.’ And he did.”
Mayweather Sr.—who had a 28-6 record as a pro boxer—called McGregor’s performance a “failure.”
“All the good was about the money for him,” Mayweather Sr. said. “Because it can’t be about no glory in what he did, because what he did was a failure. Let me tell you something. If he keeps fighting, doing that thing right there with that boxing right there, somebody gonna kill him.”
McGregor has said he’s not sure whether his next fight will be in the realm of boxing or mixed martial arts, but many expect a rematch with Nate Diaz in the UFC—and perhaps down the road a boxing rematch with Floyd Jr.
