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Floyd Mayweather to revisit most famous wind-up for Conor McGregor fight?


Floyd Mayweather [49(26)-0] loves to be the bad guy.

The American five-weight champion loves the attention and, more importantly, loves the money and revenue that a good bad guy generates. To borrow a wrestling term, the Las Vegas-based ‘heel’ is always keen to grab attention and provoke ire, all of which results in more people tuning in and more pay-per-views being sold.

Now, ahead of his fight with Dublin light middleweight Conor McGregor this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena, ‘Money’ Mayweather may go back to one of his most famous instances of provocation.

Back in 2007, when he was still known as ‘Pretty Boy,’ Mayweather took on Oscar De La Hoya in what was, back then, a record-breaking encounter in Las Vegas.

That night the MGM Grand Garden Arena was almost entirely behind De La Hoya and Mayweather would whip the Latino fans up into a frenzy, entering the ring wearing a massive sombrero and green-white-and-red shorts, the colours of the Mexican flag.

Over the weekend Mayweather gave a hint that he may be doing something similar for the fight with McGregor on Saturday.

Previously the 40 year old had draped himself in the Irish tricolour during the world press tour and repeatedly calling McGregor an ‘eejit,’ seemingly believing it to be a term of grave offence in Ireland.

Yesterday at a ‘The Money Team’ meet and greet, Mayweather revealed that he is considering a mouthguard bearing the Irish flag for the fight, one of two potential gumshields – and looking at Mayweather’s history, his mouthguard may not be the only thing that is green-white-and-orange come fight night.

Watch Mayweather show off his Irish gumshield below:

gym trition

frayne carpentry

Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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