By Keith Idec
Whether it’s instinctual or intentional, if Conor McGregor attempts to do anything other than punch Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their boxing match August 26, he’ll pay a steep price.
UFC president Dana White acknowledged during a conference call Wednesday night that there is a clause in their contracts that would penalize McGregor heavily if he were to try to elbow, kick, knee or do anything else to Mayweather that would break boxing’s unified rules. Mayweather was concerned enough about the possibility of McGregor fouling him that such language was inserted into contracts for this unprecedented showdown between an elite-level boxer and a star mixed martial artist.
“Oh yeah,” White said during a conference call Wednesday night. “That will not happen. I mean, first of all, that is absolutely in the contract, No. 1. And No. 2, this is a boxing match under the Nevada State Athletic Commission, under the rules of boxing.
“And, I mean, when you talk about a guy of Floyd Mayweather’s level and value in the sport and things like that, I mean, the lawsuit [that would be filed] if that ever happened would – Conor likes money, man, and Conor would depart with a lot of money if that ever happened. So yeah, that will not happen.”
The 28-year-old McGregor (21-3, 18 KOs) mostly stands up during his mixed martial arts matches, but the two-division UFC champion never has participated in a sanctioned boxing match. The 40-year-old Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) made it perfectly clear once the Mayweather-McGregor drama began late last year that he had no interest whatsoever in facing McGregor in an MMA match.
Las Vegas’ Mayweather, who’ll end nearly a two-year layoff to box McGregor, is about a 9-1 favorite now that their 12-round, 154-pound boxing match has officially been announced. The Las Vegas venue for Mayweather-McGregor and the pay-per-view price have yet to be announced.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.