I don’t care much for counting another man’s money and I care even less about watching someone flaunt their wealth. So, Floyd Mayweather showing off his massive income and new toys is about as appealing to me as watching a 5-12 journeyman take a pre-fight physical.
New Bugatti? So what. 100K wristwatch? Yawn. Any idiot with enough money can buy stuff.
But what DOES interest me about Mayweathr-- aside from his in-ring skills-- is his ability to bring attention to himself and to his endeavors.
Most recently, Mayweather posting a video of himself in MMA gear, entering an MMA cage has created more attention than Arum, De la Hoya, or any so-called top boxing promoter could ever imagine generating for any of their fighters.
And since he posted that video snippet, he’s reinforced the buzz he created by releasing photoshopped pics of him pummeling Conor McGregor. He has also given interviews where he floats out the idea that he just may have one more fight, after all, while coyly refusing to specify whether that fight will be in a boxing ring or a UFC octagon.
Will he fight Conor McGregor in a UFC-rules rematch? Media dupes bit at the bait while the “smart” boxing and MMA media scoffed at Mayweather’s attention-seeking ways. But just about everyone-- smart and not-so-smart-- gave him headline space. And that’s really what this is about.
Mayweather is not going to fight McGregor under UFC rules. Say what you will about the man, but he’s no dummy when it comes to knowing what makes sense in the world of risk vs. reward. He’s not going to extend himself and put himself up to potential embarrassment like McGregor did when venturing into the boxing ring against him last August. He won’t because, unlike McGregor, he doesn’t have to.
So, why all the aggressive teasing?
In a recent interview with FightHype’s very own Percy Crawford, MMA star “King Mo” Lawal stated his belief that the MMA Mayweather talk has something to do with promoting Mayweather Promotions’ first MMA fighter, Makhmud Muradov. What better way to get his fighter’s name known to the combat sports world than by allowing his guy to piggyback on the Mayweather name?
There’s also the theory floating around that Mayweather and the UFC will be working together on promoting boxing shows and that this buzz will lead to a merger of sorts. With the UFC announcing its intention to enter the boxing world and UFC president Dana White recently telling Mayweather to “reciprocate and come and fight in the Octagon,” the pairing of the two combat sport entities seems too sudden, too convenient to be a coincidence.
Whatever the case, though, a pairing of Floyd Mayweather and the UFC won’t be about Mayweather fighting a UFC-rules bout with McGregor or anyone else.
This is all about promotion.
Mayweather is doing what Mayweather does best as a businessman. He’s piquing the interest of fans in order to make a monetary score of some sort. And, whether you care to admit it or not-- he’s succeeding.