‘Oh, absolutely’ – Floyd Mayweather gung-ho on McGregor rematch

Whatever opinions on the actual quality of the fight may be, there’s no doubt that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s 2017 boxing match against Conor McGregor was one of the biggest events in recent combat sports history. Raking in a reported 4.3 million PPV buys in the US alone, some reports estimated that Mayweather earned at least $200 million (if not more) for the bout—with McGregor potentially taking in somewhere near $100 million.

Is it any wonder, then, that Mayweather would sound so eager to run it back? In a recent interview ahead of his planned exhibition boxing bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul, Mayweather sat down with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell of Morning Kombat to talk about his upcoming bout. At some point, the discussion turned toward a potential McGregor rematch.

“Oh, absolutely. Easy,” Mayweather was quick to respond when asked if he was really interested in a second McGregor fight. Adding that he still had motivation for the bout because, “…all these guys look up to me, steal my blueprint, and then get to hatin’ on me.”

Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani last year, McGregor also made a point of sharing his enthusiasm for a potential rematch with Mayweather.

“I’d like to rematch Floyd, I think we should rematch Floyd,” McGregor said when asked if he had plans to box again before he retires from competition. “I mean, he’s flirtin’ with it and all this—and he can go and pick someone else, it’s not gonna be the same. I done phenomenal in that bout. And the only reason I lost that bout is because I prepared for a back-footed ‘Philly-shelled’ style of opponent. I mean, when the fight was like that, I was picking him apart. Then, he came forward and started pressing and I wasn’t sinking into my shots like I am now… And I know I’d beat Floyd. I’d beat Floyd if we rematched. When we rematch.”

Currently, McGregor is set to rematch Dustin Poirier, taking on the ‘Diamond’ for the third time in the Octagon, following a knockout loss in the second round of their UFC 257 bout—the two men having first fought way back in 2014, with McGregor winning by first round TKO. That fight is expected to take place on July 10th at UFC 264.

Mayweather vs. Paul takes place this Sunday, June 6th, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL. The card is also expected to feature the boxing debut of former multiple time NFL Pro-Bowl receiver Chad Johnson.