Tag: Dana White

Manny Pacquiao plans to return to ring in June or July

Manny Pacquiao representative Sean Gibbons told ESPN that the titleholder plans to fight in the summer, against three potential opponents.

Welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring later this summer, and it won’t involve Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s chief representative, told ESPN on Wednesday that the plan is for the Filipino star to fight in “June or July.” The current shortlist of opponents Pacquiao is considering includes titleholder Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.

Spence might be a long shot given that the Texan is coming off a gruesome car crash last October. He stated in December that he expects to fight again in the summer. Porter’s last fight was title-unification loss to Spence last September. And Garcia outpointed Ivan Redkach in January. Garcia’s father and trainer told Boxing Junkie that they would move on from a Pacquiao fight if they aren’t given a concrete answer by the end of this month.

As for Mayweather, Gibbons shot down that possibility. “’Mayweather told us, ‘I’m retired, I’m not fighting,’” Gibbons sai

Mayweather has repeatedly hinted that he plans to return to the ring in 2020, most likely in some kind of crossover bout in collaboration with the UFC’s Dana White.

Gibbons added that Pacquiao expects to fight more than once in 2020, even with the potential late start.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) had a late-career banner year in 2019, in which he defeated Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, both of whom are considered elite welterweights in their prime.

Dana White: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal UFC title fight planned for Las Vegas in July

Dana White: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal UFC title fight planned for Las Vegas in July

Dana White: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal UFC title fight planned for Las Vegas in July

Terence Crawford likes idea of facing Conor McGregor

Bob Arum said he would like to see Terence Crawford fight Conor McGregor twice, once with boxing rules and again with MMA rules.

Now Terence Crawford is getting into the MMA act.

Bob Arum, Crawford’s promoter, said on the TalkBox podcast that he can see his pound-for-pound star taking on MMA icon Conor McGregor. And not just in a boxing match. Arum envisions two fights — one under boxing rules, a second in the MMA format.

“You see Conor McGregor talking out (Floyd) Mayweather,” Arum said. “You see him talking out (Manny) Pacquiao. I would love to have Crawford fight McGregor, once MMA rules and once boxing rules.

“Crawford has a background in wrestling and would not be averse to fighting McGregor with UFC rules. So that’s something that occurred to us in the last coupe of days. And we’ll be pursuing it with [UFC President] Dana White.”

How does Crawford feel about it? He’s obviously all in, given the amount of money he could make.

The welterweight titleholder Tweeted, “@danawhite do I need to get my mma gloves ready?

Crawford has been unable to lure the other top 147-pounders into the ring, in part because of promotional and managerial rivalries. Crawford is aligned with Arum and Top Rank while Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and Pacquiao are with Premier Boxing Champions.

Crawford could end up fighting one of Top Rank’s top junior welterweights, Josh Taylor or Jose Ramirez, but that might not happen soon. And Crawford is no longer a young champion; he’s 32. He presumably has a sense of urgency.

Thus, a big-money series with McGregor is attractive.

UFC president Dana White is hyping Tom Brady to the Raiders

“Come on man. If that dude isn’t playing for Boston he’s playing here.”

There’s one influential Las Vegas-native who has begun hyping the possibility of Tom Brady joining the Raiders (who were recently minted Las Vegas’ team).

UFC president Dana White went out of his way to talk about Brady’s free agency prospects this weekend in a post-fight press conference at UFC 246. Brady, after all, was spotted chatting with Raiders owner Mark Davis during the event. White seemed playfully frustrated that no one asked him about the moment.

“I thought you guys were going to ask me ‘Hey, Tom Brady was here. Davis was here. I saw them talking. What’s going on?’” White joked on Saturday night. “Are you guys (expletive) Las Vegans or what? Come on man. If that dude isn’t playing for Boston he’s playing here. I don’t know. I have no idea what I’m talking about. But year, he liked the fight.”

Even White admitted he doesn’t have the inside scoop. He and Brady were hanging out (as documented by ESPN), but it’s clear the New England Patriots quarterback is providing zero hints on where he might land, if he decides to enter free agency in March.

In the meantime, the Raiders have flexibility to commit or abandon quarterback Derek Carr. And while general manager Mike Mayock said Carr improved in his second season under coach Jon Gruden, Mayock was non-committal to his quarterback.

“As far as what the future holds, I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told you last year. About every position. And that is, my job is to evaluate every position and try and make us better,” Mayock told Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “And if I can, I will, and if I can’t, I won’t. And that holds true at every position.”

So there is a chance, however small it may be.

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Floyd Mayweather hints (yet again) at Conor McGregor rematch

Floyd Mayweather couldn’t resist a good PR moment, posting on his Instagram page on Sunday a fight poster featuring him and Conor McGregor.

Here we go again.

Moments after UFC’s Conor McGregor snuffed out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds of the first round in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather was probably reclining on a divan somewhere in his McMansion, flexing his fingers, gearing up to press send on his phone.

If you are one of Mayweather’s 23 million Instagram followers, chances are you saw a pop up early Sunday morning of a mock fight poster featuring Mayweather on the left and McGregor on the right, with the words “Mayweather-McGregor 2 2020” running across the middle.

Either you began salivating in anticipation or you rolled your eyes so hard you nearly snapped a nerve ending.

Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) is retired (for now) but he has clearly not lost his touch when it comes to the art of public relations. On a night that saw McGregor, before a rabid near-sold out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena, return to his winning ways, Mayweather had to make sure he stole some of that thunder.

So how serious is Mayweather? Depends on who you talk to.

The latest PR blitz recalls Mayweather’s provocative Instagram last November, in which he appeared in fight garb with the caption, “Coming out of retirement in 2020.” Around the same time, he hinted that he and UFC boss Dana White would collaborate somehow in 2020, although nothing concrete has materialized.

White, however, did indicate to ESPN that serious negotiations for a potential match-up involving Mayweather were not far off. “Some things have to play out (first),” White said, “and then I’m going to start talking to (Mayweather’s promoter Al) Hayman (sic) maybe this summer and then I’ll have something for Floyd in the fall.”

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Coming out of retirement in 2020

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McGregor himself has done his part in stoking the flames for a rematch. During fight week, McGregor told ESPN that he “would like to rematch Floyd,” and that “I wasn’t sinking into my shots like I am now with my boxing coaches that are drilling specific boxing things into me again. I know I’d beat Floyd if we rematch … WHEN we rematch.”

 

Later in the night, Mayweather decided to have a bit more fun with photoshop by posting a similar mock fight poster involving him and UFC’s Khabib Nurgamedov, who mauled McGregor into submission in 2018.

According to ESPN, after the McGregor fight, White said “Floyd has been blowing him up all night,” but offered no further details.

Mayweather was recently named “Fighter of the Decade” by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

 

Conor McGregor still wants a second fight with Floyd Mayweather

Conor McGregor is angling for a second fight with Floyd Mayweather and believes he could win this time.

Conor McGregor still dreams of a second boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

McGregor was stopped by Mayweather in the 10th round in a one-sided bout that generated 4.3 million pay per view buys and a fortune for both fighters in August 2017. The 31-year-old MMA star wants a second chance and believes he can win.

“I would like to rematch Floyd,” he said during an ESPN MMA video interview. “… I mean, he can pick someone else but it won’t be the same. I did phenomenal in [the first] bout. The only reason I lost that bout was I prepared for a backfooted … style of opponent. When the fight was like that, I picked him apart.

“Then he came forward and I started pressing. I wasn’t sinking into my shots like I am now with my boxing coaches that are drilling specific boxing things into me again. I know I’d beat Floyd if we rematch … WHEN we rematch.”

McGregor said he and Mayweather had an oral agreement to do an MMA-rules fight after their boxing match but he doesn’t expect that to happen.

“Obviously that’s not going to happen,” he said. “I might not push on that, but I would like to box him. I think that’d be a good rematch.”

McGregor was asked whether a rematch could take place this year?

“You never know,” he said. “They’re good people to do business with, the Showtime people and Floyd. You never know.”

Mayweather, who will be 43 next month, and UFC’s Dana White have suggested they have some sort of agreement for “Money” to return to the ring but haven’t been specific.

Another possibility for both Mayweather and McGregor is a fight with Manny Pacquiao, who lost a decision to Mayweather in another financial bonanza in 2015. A rematch also would do well. And fans almost certainly would buy into a Pacquiao-McGregor fight.

“There was an offer made [on a Pacquiao bout],” McGregor said. He was asked to elaborate on that but said, “not just yet.”

Dana White: Floyd Mayweather deal would be for him to fight

UFC’s Dana White made it clear that any deal he has with Floyd Mayweather would involve “Money” actually fighting.

When UFC president Dana White and Floyd Mayweather were spotted sitting next to each other at a Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers game on Nov. 20, heads turned in the combat sports world.

Soon thereafter, White was asked about the conversation and subsequent social media posts that seemed to hint at an unknown something. In the media rounds for UFC on ESPN 7 in early December, White elected not to go in depth beyond saying the he talked business with Mayweather.

In a recent interview with ESPN, however, White delved a little deeper.

“We both started talking,” White said. “The easiest way to explain it to you is Floyd and I both feel that we add value to each other, and we’re going to figure something out.

“Some things have to play out, and then I’m going to start talking to (Mayweather’s promoter Al) Hayman maybe this summer and then I’ll have something for Floyd in the fall.”

What would this mean exactly? Mayweather and White collaborating as promoter-promoter? Fighter-promoter? Or something else? Apparently, the undefeated boxer is thinking about another fight.

“Compete,” White said. “The money is in Floyd competing.”

White isn’t fond of crossover fights. But when Mayweather-esque demand is there, White said he’s willing to overlook any hesitation.

“We’ll see,” White said. “We can do some crossover stuff here, or we can do something in boxing. Our last experience, Floyd was actually pretty easy to deal with. Haymon is incredible to deal with. Floyd and I got a handshake deal at the basketball game, and we’ll get the rest figured out.”

He continued, “I don’t love them (crossover fights). … (But) when the demand is there. I felt the demand for McGregor vs. Mayweather, felt it, I knew it would be big, so we started talking. Then once I started to really feel it, that’s when I started to take it serious, and I made an offer. … It will be interesting to see if we start to see that kind of demand again with any kind of crossover fight.”