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      UFC chief Dana White claimed rapper 50 Cent kick-started negotiations for Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather

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      RAPPER 50 Cent kick-started the negotiations for Floyd Mayweather to fight UFC legend Conor McGregor.The two mavericks met in a blockbuster crossover bout in August 2017, with Money Mayweather winning by 10th round stoppage.
      50 Cent kick-started the negotiations for Floyd Mayweather to fight Conor McGregorCredit: Getty – Contributor
      UFC boss Dana White helped promote the 2017 crossover eventCredit: USA TODAY Sports
      It marked an end to months of build-up and trash-talking between the pair, with the event gripping both fighting codes.
      But UFC president Dana White revealed a chance meeting with 50 Cent – a long-time friend of Mayweather’s – was the catalyst for the super-fight taking place.
      White told ESPN: “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.
      “I bumped into 50 Cent in New York, and he said, ‘Floyd wants to fight your boy.’ I said, ‘My boy who?’
      “He’s like, ‘The Irish kid.’ And I’m like, ‘He’ll kill him,’ because I’m thinking MMA.
      “He said, ‘We’ll box him.’ I said, ‘You guys are crazy.’
      “He said, ‘He’s serious. I’ll call him right now.’

      “And then that’s how it all really got started. And then everywhere I went, it was all anybody asked me about.
      “Then once I started to really feel it, that’s when I started to take it serious, and I made an offer.”
      After Mayweather beat McGregor on the Irishman’s boxing debut he officially retired from the sport.
      He returned at the end of 2018 for an exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo.
      The now 46-year-old announced he was ‘coming out of retirement in 2020’ to work on a ‘spectacular event’ with White in 2021.
      UFC boss White revealed: “We both started talking. 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 advisor Al] Haymon maybe this summer and then I’ll have something for Floyd in the fall.
      “We can do some crossover stuff here or we can do something in boxing.
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      “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.”
      However, since that claiom Mayweather has fought exhibitions against Logan Paul, Don Moore, Mikuru Asakura, Deji Olatunji and most recently Aaron Chalmers at the O2 Arena in London.
      Mayweather claimed he is coming out of retirement to work with WhiteCredit: Splash News More

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      Eddie Hearn reveals all over his secret Conor McGregor talks with UFC legend at Black Forge pub

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      EDDIE HEARN has opened up on his recent meeting with Conor McGregor – which he’s likened to a “press conference”.The Matchroom Boxing chief meet with McGregor in February to discuss the MMA superstar potentially being involved in Katie Taylor’s long-awaited homecoming in Ireland.
      Eddie Hearn met with UFC superstar Conor McGregor in Dublin in FebruaryCredit: INSTAGRAM@EDDIEHEARN
      McGregor met with Hearn to discuss how he can be involved in Katie Taylor’s homecomingCredit: SPORTSFILE
      Hearn was blown away by is lunch with The NotoriousCredit: Rex
      The meeting took place at McGregor’s Black Forge Inn pub in Dublin, where Hearn was blown away by the UFC’s poster boy.
      During an appearance on The MMA Hour, he said: “I know everyone’s got their opinion. I always take people how I see them, right?
      “So you hear this, you hear that, you hear this, you hear that.
      “I had [lunch with McGregor] — I don’t know how long it was, an hour-and-a-half, two hours — just the funniest time.
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      “I love great energy, and this guy is just a pure character. It was like being at a press conference.
      “He comes in, and just the energy and the enthusiasm — that’s one thing that I took out of is, you know that in boxing, and this obviously sits alongside MMA as well, you fall in love with the sport.”
      A fired-up McGregor spent most of their meeting standing up and even ordered a steak while he was on his feet.
      Hearn continued: “He is so passionate about boxing, about mixed martial arts — he wouldn’t sit down.
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      “He’s ordered a steak, he’s standing up, he’s showing me how he’d fight this guy and how fight that guy, and he’s telling me about the Nate Diaz fight, when he’s on his back and he’s got a bad knee.
      “It’s like a million miles an hour. But he’s like, ‘We should do this, we should do that.
      “‘Let’s do this. Let’s make it happen.’
      “I love him. I think he’s such a character. In life, you want to be around people where you go, ‘I’ll never forget you.’
      “I’ll never forget that moment with Conor McGregor.”
      McGregor, 34, has been accused by some of piggybacking on Taylor and trying to improve his image by helping facilitate her return to the Emerald Isle.

      But Hearn insists The Notorious genuinely has Taylor’s best interests at heart.
      The 43-year-old said: “I know that there is an element to everything that everybody does about publicity and exposure, but he has a genuine passion for Katie.
      “He loves Katie Taylor. He thinks she’s amazing.
      “She’s a hero in that country, and he wanted to help make it happen for her, for Ireland as well.
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      “And I’m sure he gets [bad press], because everybody does when they reach those kinds of heights, but I had a great time. I really did.”
      McGregor is set to return to the UFC later this year for a blockbuster showdown with Michael Chandler – although a date for their clash has yet to be finalised. More

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      Worried fans make plea to Roy Jones after boxing icon loses points decision to ex-UFC champ Anthony Pettis at age of 54

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      BOXING fans have called on Roy Jones Jr to retire after he was beaten by Anthony Pettis.The boxing icon, 54, lost the eight-round fight via majority decision.
      Fans questioned why Roy Jones Jr is still boxingCredit: InDEMAND
      The boxing icon lost to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony PettisCredit: Getty
      But he looked worse for wear in the ring after the fight and some questioned why he is continuing to lace up the gloves.
      Jones’ clash against former UFC lightweight champion Pettis was his first professional bout since 2018.
      He fought Mike Tyson in an exhibition clash in November 2020 but several fans think it is time he gave up the sport.
      One wrote: “Man. That’s just sad for a certified legend. But honestly best result and he didn’t go out twitching and toes up. Hope it’s trainer full-time from here.”
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      Another added: “Roy gotta stop man. Roy gotta stop.”
      A third said: “Man I hate seeing stuff like this. Roy is a once in a generation fighter. There is no reason for him to be in the ring at 54 years old.”
      And another commented: “Hang it up bro…sheesh.”
      However Jones is eyeing a rematch with Pettis, suggesting he wants to entertain the fans.
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      He said after the fight: “I like to come in and entertain the fans.
      “I think it was a good fight. He did a great job. I think it would be a really good rematch. I don’t do exhibitions, I fight real fights. At 54 years old, that’s a beautiful thing.”
      Some fans felt Jones performed well given his age and could have picked up a win.
      One remarked: “Bro he fought amazing, btw at 54 years old.”
      Another added: “Plot twist he’s outboxing the 36-year-old.” More

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      Logan Paul’s deal to fight legendary UFC star collapses at last-minute leaving YouTuber baffled

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      LOGAN PAUL has claimed he had a fight with Nate Diaz fall through at the eleventh hour.MMA superstar Diaz has flirted with the prospect of entering the boxing world after seeing out his contract with the UFC last September.
      YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul is itching to get back in the ringCredit: REX
      Paul has claimed he was recently in talks to box former UFC star Nate DiazCredit: GETTY
      The Maverick has claimed Diaz pulled the plug on their proposed dust-upCredit: GETTY
      The Stockton slugger was expected to pursue a bout with YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul, who has called him out on numerous occasions over the last 18 months.
      But he was allegedly on course to face The Problem Child’s older brother Logan – who has claimed he pulled the plug on their dust-up after promising talks.
      Logan told BT Sport: “I thought I had something locked in and apparently he called and he said the fight was off.”
      Social media superstar Paul was baffled by Diaz’s alleged axing of the fight, asking: “Why? Why?
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      “So he could fight someone else? For what purpose?
      “To get less [pay-per-view] buys and maybe an easier fight? I don’t know, I don’t get it.”
      Logan is champing at the bit to share the ring with the former UFC lightweight title challenger and hopes the deal can be salvaged.
      He said: “As far as I know, it’s not dead because we had an offer for f***ing more money.
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      “We’ve gotta like bait this guy into fighting me.”
      Logan – who is gearing up to face Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania this weekend – hasn’t set foot inside the boxing ring since his eight-round exhibition with Floyd Mayweather in June 2021.
      The Maverick has wanted to lace up his gloves again but has had a hard time finding a new opponent.
      The 27-year-old said: “It’s hard for me to get a fight.
      “Because either you aren’t worth my time and energy.
      Logan Paul hasn’t boxed since his 2021 showdown with Floyd MayweatherCredit: AP
      “Or you’re not going to sell pay-per-views. I’ll do it, but I need a dance partner.
      “And I don’t need a warm-up fight, I don’t need a tune-up.
      “Give me the real dogs. Nate Diaz is a dog. I was looking forward to that fight.
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      “And then I got a call the other day and they said they didn’t want to do it and they were maybe taking another fight.
      “It was almost done. LOI – ready to set. I don’t know, I don’t know.” More

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      Conor McGregor responds after Carl Froch says he would BEAT two-time UFC champ in the cage as he is ‘too small’

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      CONOR McGREGOR was left in hysterics after Carl Froch claimed he could beat him in MMA. The pair have rowed in the past but Froch took it one step further when he claimed he had the beating of the ex-UFC champion in the cage.
      Carl Froch with boxing promoter Eddie HearnCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Conor McGregor called to fight FrochCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      He said on his YouTube channel: “I’d fight Conor McGregor in the cage.
      “I could be getting myself in trouble here or into a position I can’t wiggle out of, but I think I’d take him on in the cage. He’s too small.”
      McGregor hit back with a laughing face and tweeted promoter Eddie Hearn: “Get this signed up lad.”
      The Irishman, 34, has boxed professionally just once before, losing to American legend Floyd Mayweather, 45, in 2017.
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      Froch, 45, commentated that night and was full of criticism for McGregor.
      And the former featherweight and lightweight UFC champ fired back last year in a furious rant about Froch.
      McGregor tweeted: “I’ll grab his head and twist it clean off at a 1er with my bare hands.
      “Little wally of a thing I’ll slap you around you little toffee nose toss pot.”
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      Froch – who retired from boxing in 2014 – insisted it would be a mismatch if the two were to fight in the ring.
      He told Boxing UK: “He’s not a boxer, he doesn’t want to fight me, he’d get absolutely f***** up, but he might do the same to me in the cage and that is why we are both champion in our own right.
      “He knows, if he wants a roll around, he knows where to come, but he ain’t going to want this smoke.”
      Floyd Mayweathe beat Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: GETTY More

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      Joe Rogan reveals reason Conor McGregor lost to Floyd Mayweather as UFC star accuses boxing legend of snubbing rematch

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      UFC commentator Joe Rogan reckons Conor McGregor came up short against Floyd Mayweather because he lacked ‘composure’.The MMA superstar entered the boxing world in the summer of 2017 to lock horns with the former five-weight world champion in a multi-million-pound bout aptly dubbed ‘The Money Fight’.
      Conor McGregor turned in a valiant display in his showdown with Floyd Mayweather in 2017Credit: GETTY
      But the MMA superstar ended up suffering a tenth-round TKO defeat to MoneyCredit: GETTY
      UFC commentator Joe Rogan reckons McGregor’s lack of ‘composure’ was his undoingCredit: GETTY
      McGregor started the contest well and landed some good shots on Money but ultimately succumbed to fatigue and was stopped in the tenth round of the Sin City showdown.
      And veteran UFC broadcaster Rogan reckons the Irishman would’ve had more success if he’d remained calm under the bright lights.
      During the latest episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he said: “He just wasn’t composed enough to go ten rounds with one of the greatest of all time.”
      Rogan was, however, impressed by McGregor’s display against the undefeated Mayweather, who is considered by many to be the greatest
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      He said: “Conor could’ve been a great boxer.
      “He could’ve been a great boxer. He’s got a tremendous uppercut, too.
      “The uppercut he caught Floyd with and he snapped Floyd’s head with.
      “Floyd was like, ‘Okay.’ That was legit. He just wasn’t composed enough to go ten rounds with one of the greatest of all time.
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      The greatest of all time.”
      McGregor, 34, has campaigned for a rematch with Mayweather in the years since their desert dust-up but the fight has yet to materialise.
      And The Notorious recently accused the boxing legend of going back on his word for a second bout.
      During an appearance on Fox Sports, he said: “That was the original [plan].
      “It was a verbal agreement, I box him, and he fights me.
      “But you know, he didn’t honour it. He didn’t honour it yet. Who knows?
      “I would go against him in another boxing bout, I’d like another crack at it.
      “I can always say it is another boxing fight and then just bend the rules a little bit when we’re in there maybe.”
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      MMA icon McGregor is set to return to the octagon later this year for a mouthwatering showdown with Michael Chandler, although a date for their clash has not yet been announced.
      The Dubliner hasn’t set foot inside the cage since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. More

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      Katie Taylor’s camp welcome homecoming bout sponsorship by Conor McGregor – but warn they don’t need him to sell it out

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      KATIE TAYLOR’S team said “cheers” to Conor McGregor — as his drinks brand will sponsor the boxing superstar’s homecoming bout — but warned: “It’s not the McGregor show.”Taylor will finally box in Ireland for the first time ever as a pro when she takes to the ring at Dublin’s 3Arena on May 20.
      Katie Taylor’s team said “cheers” to Conor McGregor — as his drinks brand will sponsor the boxing superstar’s homecoming boutCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
      Katie Taylor will challenge Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed light-welterweight titles on May 20Credit: PA:Press Association
      The Bray bomber will attempt to become a two-weight undisputed champ when she challenges light-welterweight queen Chantelle Cameron from Britain.
      But promoter Eddie Hearn said it is very much “The Katie Taylor Show” despite McGregor’s cash injection.
      Hearn explained: “Like I said, it’s not the Conor McGregor show.
      “He reached out to help in any way and if he is to support the event commercially, fantastic but it’s obviously the Katie Taylor show.”

      UFC star McGregor’s Proper 12 brand sponsored the Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder II clash in Las Vegas in 2020 — plastering its logo in the centre of the ring — and Hearn could cut a similar deal.
      But the Essex fight boss is adamant he does not need a hand bringing eyeballs to the event.
      Hearn insisted: “No, when we say ‘adding his name to fight’ we mean one of his companies, one of his brands, may sponsor the fight. That’s as far as it goes.
      “We don’t need him to sell the fight out. We don’t need him to be part of the promotion.
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      “I just take people as I find them and I see a genuine character that really is excited by the event and wants to support Katie so you are not going to see him at press conferences and walking out Katie Taylor.
      “It’s not that kind of association. It’s, ‘if I can help’.”
      Asked if she was happy for dad-of-three McGregor to be involved in her homecoming, Taylor looked to her promoter before smiling and shrugging: “Yeah.”
      MMA superstar McGregor publicly offered a cash injection in a bid to get the GAA HQ bout over the line but while that plan failed to materialise, for now, his immediate involvement appears to have been copper-fastened.
      ‘The Notorious’ heads up the Proper 12 whiskey brand and has recently launched Forged Irish Stout.
      Matchroom Sport boss Hearn — who flew to Dublin for talks with McGregor last month at his Black Forge Inn — says they are ready to do business.
      Eddie Hearn met with Conor McGregor to discuss sponsoring Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight
      Hearn explained: “We’re talking still and genuinely, forgetting the PR and promotion of it, he has a couple of brands that are Irish-based that would fit very well with the show.
      “Behind the madness, he is also a massive fan of Katie. He genuinely wants the best for her. And he genuinely wanted to help with the Croke Park stuff. He’s just excited.
      “Like every fight fan, he can’t believe it’s on. He was like, ‘Oh they’re going to fight at The Point?’ and I was like, ‘No it’s not, it’s the 3Arena’ — and he was like, ‘No it’s not — it’s The Point’.
      “And he was talking about the atmosphere there and stuff, so yeah, we expect him to be involved.
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      It had originally been hoped that Taylor’s Irish bow would take place at Croke Park in a rematch with Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano. But while the venue and opponent have changed, the date has not.
      Hearn continued: “Even through the whole Serrano stuff, he was messaging me non-stop, following it on social media, ‘so what’s happening now?’
      “Then it was like, ‘wow, I can’t believe it’s still on — so what’s the plan?’
      “He genuinely –— away from the publicity and stuff like that — cares that she’s coming home to fight. He’s been to her fights before and he’s a big help and supporter.”
      Meanwhile Taylor laughed off the idea of asking Roy Keane to walk her to the ring on the night.
      The Manchester United and Ireland legend is one of her heroes — and he is a huge admirer of the champion boxer. But, asked if he might be willing to accompany her on the lonely walk to meet Cameron, she grinned: “I’m not sure he’s the type of guy that would want to do something like that!
      “Every now and then he sends me a message after a fight so that’s really, really cool.
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      “Roy Keane’s my favourite athlete of all time. His mentality is second to none, he’s someone I really admired and looked up to growing up.”
      Taylor added: “This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. This is one of the best fights in boxing, two undisputed champions going head to head. It is going to be an amazing night and amazing celebration. Pro boxing is coming home.” More

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      ‘Welcome to boxing’ – UFC boss Dana White reacts to Tyson Fury’s unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk facing collapse

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      DANA WHITE was left unsurprised at the news Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk faces collapse. The pair of unbeaten boxing champions have publicly agreed a split to unify their belts but behind the scenes a deal is still not signed off.
      UFC president Dana WhiteCredit: Rex
      And Usyk warned he could walk away from talks if terms are not wrapped up, which would KO one of the biggest fights the sport has to offer.
      UFC president White said in response: “It’s scheduled, no? Oh it’s not? Welcome to boxing, boys. Is it shocking? Yes. Is it ‘shocking’? No.
      “It’s just that is boxing, that’s the way that that sport always seems to play out, the big fights that should happen never happen.
      “And when they do, it’s always late and that’s the stuff that used to drive me crazy as a fan and it’s literally part of how I designed this company to not be.

      “We try to make the big fights when it’s time to make the big fights.”
      Usyk accepted Fury’s “greedy” 70/30 offer to unify all four heavyweight belts for the first time in history on April 29 at Wembley.
      But boxing manager Egis Klimas has vented his frustration with no deal yet agreed and Usyk himself hinted at negotiations hitting a snag.
      He tweeted: “The points for agreement were sent to Fury’s side. The deadline is set. The clock is ticking.
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      “The ball is on #Greedybelly’s side now. We did everything in our power to make it happen.”
      Klimas has previously maintained Usyk’s acceptance of 70/30 is only valid for a fight on April 29, just six weeks away.
      And any postponement will cause a renegotiation of 50/50 split between the unbeaten pair.
      Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty More