5 Years After $600 Million Fight, Stephen A. Smith Reveals What Floyd Mayweather Said to Him Before Defeating Conor McGregor

The bout between UFC fighter Conor McGregor and retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is one of the most legendary cross-sports matchups to ever take place. Its fame reached such unprecedented heights that its name is now etched as the pioneer bout in combat sports. The fight which took place almost six years ago in 2017 is reported to have earned around $600 million. Moreover, according to Forbes, Mayweather and McGregor, both went away with a massive payday as well, with Mayweather earning $275 million and McGregor earning $85 million. Although UFC legend Chael Sonnen would beg to differ.

Years after the duel, TV personality Stephen A. Smith has made an intriguing connection between the McGregor-Mayweather bout and Tyson Fury- Deontay Wilder III bout. Smith recently appeared on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson  and revealed how ‘Money’ had kept his word that was uttered prior to the match.

Stephen A. Smith gives us a glimpse of Floyd Mayweather’s prediction

During the podcast, Stephen A. Smith talked about Tyson Fury’s prediction for the bout against Wilder. He claimed that he has only seen such accurate predictions from one of the best in the game-Floyd Mayweather. Smith revealed that prior to Mayweather’s bout against ‘MysticMac’, he shared the plan for the bout with Smith. Smith revealed that Mayweather had said that he will take McGregor out “about the eighth and ninth round”. This prompted Smith to ask Mayweather about how he was so sure regarding his ability to knock out Conor McGregor who was at his prime at the time.

Smith pointed out several flaws in Mayweather’s style, including his weak and damage-prone hands, and his weak punching power after he moved from Lightweight to Welterweight. It was then when Mayweather pointed out that first of all McGregor is a UFC fighter and that “he is a striker.” He claimed that the Irish fighter is more unaccustomed to throwing punches while falling retreating. Mayweather claimed that he would simply “stay at his chest” and that he’ll simply “toy with him” till the eighth or ninth round. Furthermore, Smith shared his wonder and amazement as he said, “That is exactly what Floyd Money Mayweather did.” This prompted Mike Tyson to say, “He’s the man”. They then spoke about the respect that they collectively held towards the retired boxer.

Smith draws a connection between Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather & Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III

During one segment of the podcast, Smith remembered the press conference for the third Tyson Fury– Deontay Wilder bout. Smith reminded me of how furious Fury was during the conference as he was forced to fight Wilder. This was because Wilder had sued Fury for the rematch. Moreover, Smith talked about how Tyson wanted to fight somebody else. However, Wilder “didn’t wanna wait, he wanted that fight then”. Furthermore, Smith recalled that Wilder had his headphones on and didn’t want to talk to Fury.

Smith remarked that Fury had said if Wilder “doesn’t wanna talk, I’ll talk”. Moreover, he recalled Fury’s words, “I am gonna beat him because he is an idiot.” Smith recalled the plan Fury claimed he would use during the fight. “He said ‘I am a superior boxer I’m gonna box him’. He said ‘I’m going to lean on him, I’m going to wear down his legs okay, he ain’t gonna be able to move’. And he said ‘I’m gonna come in the ring about 40 pounds heavier than him and there’s nothing you can do about it.‘” Smith drew a parallel between the two situations where the winning fighters were able to see through their opponents and make an accurate prediction for the fight.

Read More: Who Is Floyd Mayweather’s Next Opponent, John Gotti III, Grandson of the New York Crime Family’s Boss John Gotti?

What do you think about Mayweather’s words prior to the fight? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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