‘#Notinterested’: Conor McGregor declines Floyd Mayweather’s rematch offer

Conor McGregor is not interested in a rematch with his undefeated boxing rival, Floyd Mayweather Jr., even though the pair generated a reported $600 million when ‘Money’ easily beat the UFC legend in 2017.

Mayweather recently claimed a 2023 rematch with McGregor was being discussed as either an exhibition or official fight, but McGregor hit back on Instagram, writing: ‘#notinterested.’

It’s been nearly five years since Mayweather and McGregor teamed up for a mega crossover fight in Las Vegas back in August 2017, with ‘Money’ teaching the UFC superstar a boxing lesson by securing an easy tenth-round TKO victory.

Speaks exclusively to Sports mailMayweather discussed his plans for the rest of the year and went into detail about facing McGregor again.

‘I want to go out there at the weekend and have fun [against Mikuru Asakura],’ Mayweather said of an upcoming MMA fight for which he could earn $20 million for nine minutes of action. “Then I have another show in Dubai in November and me and Conor McGregor in 2023.

‘We don’t know if it will be an exhibition or a real match. But there has been talk of both. I would prefer an exhibition.’

When asked why he would prefer an exhibition, Mayweather said: ‘I’m not into fights where I want to take any real punishment.

“So guys like Conor McGregor and guys who don’t really hit hard, like YouTubers or UFC guys, I don’t really mind clashing with those kinds of individuals, but not something where I want to put myself in a position where I’m going to hurt myself or hurt myself.’

Mayweather’s clash with McGregor proved to be his last professional fight, taking his record to 50 wins and zero losses or draws.

He reportedly earned around $280 million from the blockbuster fight, not to mention his alleged gambling winnings, which he has occasionally referenced over the years.

Meanwhile, McGregor took home a reported $130 million from what was his first and only pro boxing match, despite looking like the novice he was.

Retired welterweight and McGregor sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi (36-8) found the UFC star a poor challenge.

“Just count it this way,” Malignaggi told DailyMail.com in 2017, explaining that he hadn’t trained before their sparring sessions. ‘If I can show up in 20, 30 percent shape, less than 24 hours [after] a cross-country flight and go 12 rounds with you and get the upper hand for most of the 12 rounds, you’ve got a problem if you’re going up against Floyd Mayweather.’

During McGegor’s training camp, the MMA star’s team posted photos of him seemingly dominating Malignaggi on social media. But Brooklyn-born Malignaggi insists he was pushed to the canvas and that the images were misleading and intended to give fans confidence that McGregor had a chance of beating Mayweather.

“People choose to be deceived,” Malignaggi said of the throngs of McGregor supporters who bought tickets and bet on the fighter. ‘They wanted to be deceived, but the writing was on the wall.’

Another sparring partner, the South African welterweight Chris Van Heerden, told The Wall Street Journal in 2017 that he did not ‘give [McGregor] any chance heading into the match.

Since then, McGregor suffered three defeats in his last four UFC fights. He has also taken some time away from the Octagon after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier.

Nevertheless, McGregor confirmed his desire to return to boxing while competing in the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.

He told Sky Sports: ‘Boxing is my first love in martial arts. I had such a great time last time I was out there.

‘Obviously my return will be in the octagon for the UFC – that story is far from over, in fact it’s just being written, it’s just the beginning. But boxing, I will definitely grace the squared circle again in the future.’

Meanwhile, Mayweather returns to action this weekend when he faces MMA fighter Asakura in an exhibition bout in Japan.

You can watch Floyd Mayweather in action against Mikuru Asakura live on FITE TV this Saturday, September 24