Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor shared one of the most hilarious build-ups of a fight in living memory ahead of their boxing match five years ago.
The undefeated American world champion has invited the Irish king of the UFC to temporarily leave MMA and switch to another sport for a huge salary.
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UFC boss Dana White separated Mayweather and McGregor when they first faced off
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McGregor owned the stage and made his presence felt as he and his arch-rival embarked on their world tour
At first, very few people believed that the event would actually materialize.
However, a deal was reached between Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon and UFC President Dana White which saw the fight confirmed for August 26, 2017 as a Showtime PPV.
A four-city press tour was then announced with the two fighters promoting the contest in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and London.
Most fans expected a boastful McGregor as usual, but many weren’t quite sure what to expect from Mayweather, who was now 40 and had stopped talking trash in the later stages of his career.
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The fighters had a lot to say to each other
Nonetheless, from the first showdown in Los Angeles, it was clear the former Floyd was back in action as the pair chewed on each other and exchanged words.
McGregor wore a suit which he later revealed said “f*** you” in the stripes, while Mayweather came dressed in casual attire for all four events.
Amazing crowds filled 10,000 capacity arenas in the four different cities as fans came out just to catch a glimpse of the two performers.
The American blackmailed his home fans and underlined when he called McGregor an ‘easy job’.
But it was the popular Irishman who controlled the majority of the fans and made them shout “F*** the Mayweathers”.
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McGregor’s costume was uniquely designed
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Floyd pulled out his biggest paycheck, which was far more than McGregor had seen before
Mayweather pulled out an asset – his check for $100 million from the Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015.
He won another on August 26.
A controversy emerged when McGregor’s microphone was cut off at some point during the first event.
He appeared to blame Showtime President Stephen Espinoza, calling him a “weasel” from the second press conference.
When they arrived in Toronto, superstar artist Drake came out to introduce the fighters.
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Drake appeared at the event in Canada
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The pair clashed when Mayweather claimed an Irish flag
“I’m 40, but I look 20,” boasted Mayweather before being interrupted by a quick-witted McGregor, “And you act 10!”
Floyd pulled out an Irish flag and posed with it, prompting the Dubliner to steal his backpack full of thousands of dollars and quip, “Why are you carrying a school bag? You can’t even read!
In New York, Mayweather made it rain by throwing a number of dollar bills into the air around McGregor.
And then finally came London.
On the final day of the tour, the duo packed Wembley Arena.
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Mayweather threw dollar bills at McGregor
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Conor made contact during the final event
McGregor had already dominated the majority of fan support in America, but when he arrived closer to home, the atmosphere was raucous.
Chants of “sit down, shut up” rang out in the arena every time Mayweather tried to speak and Conor took the opportunity to smack him on the head.
Ultimately, however, the boxer had seen it all before and was unimpressed with anything during the press tour.
When the fight itself took place, Mayweather was of course several levels above McGregor inside the boxing ring and stopped him on his feet in the tenth round.
The Irishman has always maintained that he will return to boxing at some point and would like to right the wrongs of 2017.
Now the pair are rumored to be in talks for a rematch and McGregor might just get his second chance after all.
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The fight ended in favor of Mayweather
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