Floyd Mayweather has confirmed that he will face off against Conor McGregor next year, according to British tabloid the Daily Mail.
Mayweather said that he’s currently in the process of negotiating another fight with McGregor, who he beat in a boxing match in 2017, to take place at some point in 2023. While he said that the details of the fight have yet to be determined, Mayweather said he doesn’t know if it’s going to be “an exhibition or a real fight.”
While there’s been “talks of both,” Mayweather would “prefer” an exhibition fight. “I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment,” he told the tabloid. “So, guys like Conor McGregor and guys that don’t really hit hard such as YouTubers or UFC guys., I don’t really mind colliding with those kinds of individuals but nothing where I am going to put myself in a position where I am going to harm myself or hurt myself.”
Despite Mayweather’s assertion, McGregor took to Instagram to suggest that he’s “not interested” in a rematch.
Mayweather retired from pro boxing following his previous fight with McGregor, which served as his 50th career win. He’s since fought in a series of exhibition matches, the most famous of which was Logan Paul in 2020. He’s currently scheduled to get in the ring with Japanese MMA fighter and YouTuber Mikuru Asakura on Sunday, Sept. 25.
McGregor has been gunning for a rematch with Mayweather for years now, and the two have frequently been known to take shots at one another. When the MMA fighter lost to Dustin Poirier last year, Mayweather took a moment to tease him as “Con Artist McLoser.” The undefeated boxer took home a reported $275 million from his last fight with McGregor, who took home $85 million per Forbes.
