By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows he can take a great shot.
The undefeated five-division champion has faced numerous powerful punchers on his way to 49-0 and none of them could take him out. Conor McGregor might be a strong opponent, particularly because he could out-weigh Mayweather by 15 or 20 pounds in their fight and they’ll wear eight-ounce gloves Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Mayweather isn’t so sure, however, that McGregor can take a punch as well as the Irish southpaw can deliver one.
“One thing that you must know about the sport of boxing and about combat sports – remember, if you give it, you must be able to take it,” Mayweather said during a final press conference Wednesday that was nothing at all like their infamous four-city press tour last month. “So with that being said, out of the 47 opponents that I’ve faced, out of 47 opponents that I’ve faced, they say, ‘Oh, he’s got brittle hands. Oh, he’s a scared opponent. He’s a scared guy.’ Listen, last time I checked, nobody’s walking me down. It’s called smarts. It’s called having an IQ. It’s called having patience.
“And from Day One, from Day One, everything that my dad taught me from Day One, I still know till this day. Every combination that was taught to me, I know. And any and everything that can be done in boxing, I’ve done it. Not just once, not just twice, a thousand times. I was born a fighter. I will die a fighter. August 26th, he’s gonna bring his best. And it’s not gonna be easy, Conor. It’s not gonna be easy. Remember, Pacquiao got bombs, Canelo got bombs, Shane Mosley had bombs. And all those guys are going in the Hall of Fame. But one thing about me, I’ve got a granite chin. But remember this – the same way you give it, you have to be able to take it. Remember this.”
Mosley came the closest out of the three opponents Mayweather mentioned to knocking him down. Mosley hurt Mayweather twice with right hands in the second round of their May 2010 fight in Las Vegas, but Mayweather remained on his feet, regained his composure and came back to dominate Mosley for the remainder of their 12-round welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Each of McGregor’s three losses in mixed martial arts were submission defeats. The two-division UFC champion responded to Mayweather’s questions about his chin Wednesday with a reminder that he has endured much more in the Octagon than he believes Mayweather will be able to hit him with when they square off Saturday night (Showtime Pay-Per-View; $99.95 in HD).
“You know, I’ve come through shinbone,” McGregor said. “You ever had a shinbone bounce off your cheekbone? You ever come through that? You know what I mean? That’s the game I come from. So they can say what they want. I’ve come through a lot tougher than any of these have come through. So we are prepared. And like I said, I am prepared for the 12 three-minute rounds, [an] insane pace, a crazy fight. I’m ready for that. I just do not believe that he can give that.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.