Conor McGregor has traded barbs with members of Floyd Mayweather?s entourage before tearing into the unbeaten boxing legend during the final press conference to promote Sunday?s (AEST) superfight in Las Vegas.
As McGregor was introduced by UFC boss Dana White at the KA Theatre inside the MGM Grand casino, one of Mayweather?s entourage yelled out: ?You?re going to get knocked out boy. You?re getting knocked out.?
McGregor shot back: ?Not by you, you little fool, whoever you are.?
As Mayweather intervened to ask members of his entourage to show some respect, McGregor let fly again.
?Tell that bitch to shut his mouth,? he said. ?Carry yourself with class mate.?
McGregor, dressed immaculately in a suit and tie, will enter the ring as a massive underdog in his professional boxing debut but this morning reiterated that he was in supreme condition and ready to end the fight within two rounds.
Mayweather will start the fight as a massive favourite and a McGregor win would be devastating to bookmakers in the state of Nevada, where the fight is being held.
?I just want to say I am very happy with how the camp has gone,? said McGregor, who wore sunglasses during the press conference.
?Everything has gone amazing. We are prepared for 12, three-minute rounds of non-stop pace. I will go forward, I will put pressure on him.
?Trust me on that. We are more than ready. I don?t see him lasting two rounds. Keep your hands up, keep your hands down.
?I don?t care. I am going to break through whatever is in front of me. I have taken this very seriously. I have had referees in camp.
?I have taken the Marquess of Queensberry rules very seriously. I am going to out-box this man at his own game.
?That?s how skilled and what a different level I am. I am going to f**k this boy up. Make no mistake. And when it is all said and done, I am going to feel a little bit sad. You should have all kept your mouth shut.
?You should have left me bouncing heads off the canvas. You should have left me where I was. This man is not a quarter of the man I am.?
It was a more circumspect Mayweather who then took to the stage. After swapping insults with McGregor for much of the lead-up, Mayweather acknowledged his opponent?s pedigree.
?I have been in the sport for 21 years,? Mayweather said.
?Have taken it seriously. I am taking this extremely seriously. When all is said and done, one thing I know is I can fight. For me to be 49-0, obviously that means I am not receiving, I am giving.
?Connor McGregor has had a hell of a career. He is a hell of a fighter. He is a hell of a competitor. It?s not going to be an easy fight. It is going to be blood, sweat and tears.
?He is the best at what he does, I am the best at what I do. He can do a lot of things, I can do a lot of things. It comes down to the skills.
?I think it has been said many times I am going to go to the body with Mayweather, I am going to hit him with the right hand, I am going to hit him with the left hook. After 21 years, I have been hit with everything and I am still here.
?One thing he must know about the sport of boxing and contact sports, if you get hit, you must be able to take it.?
Mayweather then spoke about his own background, having won all 49 of his fights prior to his retirement two years ago. He was lured out of retirement by the prospect of a mega-fight against McGregor and has made it clear that regardless of the result, this will be his last fight.
?It?s called smarts, it?s called having an IQ, it?s called having patience,? Mayweather said.
?From day one, everything that my dad taught me., I still know it to this day. Every combination, everything he taught me, I still know.
Anything in boxing that can be done, I have done it. I was born a fighter, I will die a fighter. August 26 he is going to bring his best. It is not going to be easy.
?Remembers this, the same that you can give it, you have to be able it take it.?
The pair finished the press conference by squaring off, where McGregor continued to taunt his opponent. Their fight is expected to be the biggest in the history of combat sports, with pay-per-view numbers in America tipped to out-strip previous records.
Mayweather is expected to earn upwards of $300 million for the fight while McGregor will pocket in excess of $100 million.
