Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will return to the ring this Saturday in Japan, however, he is already plotting out his schedule for the next year and claims it will include a rematch with UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
“Money” is scheduled to compete this weekend for MMA promotion Rizin. However, it won’t be in a cage fight. Instead, he will be back in the boxing ring for an exhibition scrap with MMA veteran Mikuru Asakura. The booking is set to be another showcase for the 45-year-old and his fans as he competes for big paydays while not risking a blemish to his 50-0 record.
Related: Floyd Mayweather’s next fight – Money is back on Sunday, but versus who?
The matchup follows the trend of his recent bouts with former sparring partner Don Moore this Spring in Abu Dhabi, and against YouTuber turned boxer, Logan Paul, last year. That being of pure spectacle for entertainment’s sake. It looks like the boxing legend will continue this career path heading into 2023, but he claims one of his upcoming fights will actually be a rematch of one of the biggest money-making bouts in combat sports history.
On Wednesday, Mayweather, Jr. spoke to the Daily Mail about his upcoming fight and revealed he already has the next year of his schedule plotted out. “I want to go out there this weekend and have fun. Then I have another exhibition in Dubai in November and me and Conor McGregor in 2023.”
‘Exhibition or a real fight’ final hurdle in Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor II booking
While Mayweather, Jr. seems pretty confident in a rematch of the 2015 bout he won by unanimous decision, the multi-division champion says there is one last detail that needs to be ironed before the bout is official. A bout he is in favor of because there is little risk to him in facing a fighter “that don’t really hit hard.”
- Floyd Mayweather record: 50-0 (27 knockouts)
“We don’t know if it’s going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there’s been talks of both. I would prefer an exhibition. … I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment. … 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.”
Mayweather vs McGregor was a co-promoted event by the UFC and Showtime Sports. The fight was a massive success and pulled in 4.3 million pay-per-views. Second all-time only to the 4.6 million earned by Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao two years earlier. With “Money” being his own promoter lately, a matchup isn’t out of the question since the UFC would not need to work closely with Showtime to get a deal done.
Furthermore, after losing three of his last four fights in the UFC, “Notorious'” star has fallen in recent years and he is well out of title contention in the MMA world leader. Meaning he is in favor of bookings that can bank him the biggest bucks.
- Conor McGregor record: 22-6 (19 KOs, 1 submission)