Floyd Mayweather answers Khabib Nurmagomedov’s challenge to fight him after beating Conor McGregor
The UFC lightweight champion called for the undefeated boxer to face him and determine who the ‘king fo the jungle’
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Floyd Mayweather has responded to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s challenge to come out of retirement and fight him by appearing to accept his challenge in order to “Make Las Vegas great again”.
The 51-0 boxer was last seen in the ring defeating Conor McGregor with a 10th-round stoppage in August 2017, little more than a year before Khabib inflicted a demolition job on the Irishman to beat him on his return to the UFC earlier this month.
After successfully defending his UFC lightweight championship, Khabib has plenty of options on the table with a possible rematch against McGregor, a showdown with former interim champion Tony Ferguson and lucrative moves to Bellator and the WWE all up for grabs.
But the Russian decided instead to call out Mayweather in the hope of luring him back into the ring for what would be the biggest pay day of his career so far, and his message to the undefeated American boxer appeared on promoter Leonard Ellerbe’s Instagram page for all to see.
“Let’s go Floyd,” Khabib said. “We have to fight now, 51-0 vs 27-0, two guys who have never lost.
“Because in the jungle there is only one king. Of course I am the king because he cannot drop McGregor but I dropped him easily.”
Mayweather appeared to accept the challenge, as he posted a message on Instagram calling for a number of companies to book the fight between the two unbeaten fighters.
“CBS, Showtime and MGM Grand get the checkbook out!” Mayweather wrote. “Go to @leonardellerbe ‘s page to view Khabib Nurmagomedov challenging me.
“LET’S MAKE LAS VEGAS GREAT AGAIN!”
His claim to “make Las Vegas great again” appeared to be a direct swipe at the events that unfolded immediately after the UFC 229 main event, with Khabib and his entourage involved in disgraceful scenes along with McGregor’s team as vicious brawls broke out both in and out of the Octagon.
Khabib was seen to trigger the incident when he vaulted the Octagon fence and leaped into the crowd to confront McGregor’s teammate and trainer, Dillon Danis, while the Irishman was involved in a punch-up with three of Khabib’s entourage as they jump into the Octagon to confront him following his pre-fight insults about the Russian’s religion, background and family.
It’s for that reason that any fight between Khabib and Mayweather is likely to be a long way off as the Russian is facing a lengthy ban as he remains under investigation by the Nevada State Athletic Commission [NSAC], having had his fight purse of $2m withheld due to his actions. Both Khabib and McGregor are due to appear at an NSAC hearing on 24 October.
Mayweather has constantly teased about the prospect of a third comeback from retirement, having already performed U-turns on his announcements after the Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto fights, and he recently claimed that he was returning to the ring for a rematch against Manny Pacquaio when the pair met in Japan last month.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments