By Carlos Boogs
A few months ago, retired former five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. was telling anyone who would listen that he was considering a ring return against UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
According to Mayweather, the fight was going to be contested under traditional boxing rules. The two sides never reached any type of agreement and UFC President Dana White says his office never received a call from Mayweather's handlers to discuss the fight.
McGregor was submitted by Nate Diaz earlier this year and a rematch is scheduled for Saturday, August 20 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As the rematch approaches, McGregor says the Mayweather fight is still very possible to take place in the future.
He claims Mayweather is speaking with Showtime to front enough money to make the pay-per-view encounter a possibility. McGregor has no problem with facing Mayweather under boxing rules - if the money is right.
“Right now I have Floyd running around the Showtime offices gathering my money. As soon as he has my money, we can fight. ," McGregor said.
"If you want to fight me we can fight. If you need a safety net of rules, we can do that as long as you have my money. I don’t need no rules to protect me. That’s my thoughts on all that. Why dominate in one world when you can dominate two?”
Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach is willing to help McGregor prepare, if the fight happens, but the veteran coach cautions that it's going to take at least several years for McGregor to become a good enough boxer to make it a competitive contest with Mayweather.