Stephen A. Smith recalled a conversation he had with Floyd Mayweather the night before the latter’s fight with Conor McGregor.
‘TBE’ took his record to 50-0 with a tenth-round-stoppage win over McGregor in a global-crossover event.
The event captured the imagination of hardcore and casual fans alike as 4.3 million pay-per-views were sold, making it the highest behind Mayweather vs Pacquiao.
With that being said, the pressure was on all Mayweather. A loss for McGregor was expected since he was making his boxing debut.
However, a defeat for Mayweather risked his legacy. And yet, Smith outlined how relaxed Mayweather was before the fight.
“Floyd Mayweather looks me in my face and he says ‘I’m gonna take him out about the eighth or ninth round.’ And I said ‘your hand’s always broken, you ain’t known for your punching power since you moved up from lightweight to welterweight, why are you so sure?” Smith
The result spoke for itself, as Mayweather’s following comments suggested that he had planned on taking McGregor into the later rounds.
“‘Stephen A, he’s a UFC fighter, and he’s a striker. He’s accustomed to coming at you and throwing punches. What he’s not accustomed to doing is punching while he’s moving backwards and pushing you off of him. I’m gonna walk right into him and stay on his chest.
“He’s gonna have to push me off in order to throw his punches, he’s gonna be circling the ring. By round four or five he’s not gonna have any legs. He’s gonna be done. And I’ll just toy with him and keep him around till round eight or nine,” Mayweather
The rest was history as Mayweather reportedly picked up $275 million. And that is a sum that most boxers can only dream of.