John Locher / AP
Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 | 4:57 p.m.
Related content
- Mayweather complimentary of McGregor ahead of Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas
- UFC: Champ Jon Jones flagged for another failed doping test
- Sold out or not, Vegas will party during Mayweather-McGregor
- Analysis: Age shows no sign of affecting Floyd Mayweather at open workout
- Why Conor McGregor believes he’ll end Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated record
- Gloves are off for McGregor-Mayweather fight — metaphorically, of course
- Mayweather promoter tired of talk about ticket sales
- Mayweather-McGregor to be shown live in movie theaters
- The Sun's fighting section
On the eve of Saturday’s mega-fight with Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather walked into T-Mobile Arena to the roar of thousands of emphatic boos.
Mayweather’s hometown venue was taken over by thousands of Irish fans. They flooded the stands draped in green, white and orange to sing chants, cheer McGregor and boo Mayweather.
“There’s a saying about the Irish,” McGregor said onstage. “You’ll never beat us. We roll in, and we take over whatever we want. Las Vegas is Ireland now.”
Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) walked stoically through the chaos and onto the scale, where he came in at 149.5 pounds – well below the 154-pound limit.
“I’ve been here before, and I know what it takes when it’s a fight of this magnitude,” Mayweather said. “The fans can’t fight for you. It comes down to the two competitors in the ring.”
Despite Mayweather coming in nearly five pounds below the limit and appearing to be in great shape, McGregor wasn’t impressed.
“That’s the worst shape I’ve ever seen him,” he said. “I’m going to breeze through him. Trust me on that.”
McGregor (21-3 in MMA) tipped the scales at 153 pounds for his pro boxing debut, but is expected to outweigh Mayweather by close to 20 pounds Saturday night when they step into the ring.
“I’m a professional,” McGregor said. “I’m in peak physical condition. (I’ll be) a lot bigger, a lot bigger than him. I’d say close to 170 (pounds).”
Mayweather, 40, is making his return to boxing after a 2-year retirement and hasn’t won by knockout since 2011, but believes that will end Saturday in the final fight of his illustrious career.
“It won’t go the distance,” he said with a smirk. “Mark my words.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy