Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
It has been just over two weeks since UFC superstar Conor McGregor signed the dotted line to fight boxer Floyd Mayweather, yet no movement has been made on the side of “Money” in negotiations with UFC. Not to worry. According to Conor McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, the superfight will definitely happen.
Here is what Kavanagh had to say about McGregor vs. Mayweather in a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto:
Okamoto: As far as you are aware, what is the latest in terms of making this fight a reality?
Kavanagh: The first big hurdle was jumped over, which was Conor and the UFC coming to their agreement. When that happened, it became a lot more real to me. I was enjoying the buildup, the talk, the idea of it. But it wasn't until Conor messaged me and said, 'It's done, I've signed,' that I was like, 'Oh, OK. We actually are boxing.'
Now, Mayweather is dragging his heels a little bit, I guess. It's been over a week since Conor made his public announcement. I'm not quite sure what the delay is. Mayweather seemed anxious to do it in June. Obviously, that date is kind of gone. There's a September date that's been talked about. I don't know why he hasn't signed yet. Maybe there are negotiations to do on his end.
Okamoto: But to be clear, you sound 100 percent confident the fight is happening?
Kavanagh: Absolutely. And that has been part of our mentality. The Mayweather, [Manny] Pacquiao fight [in 2015], I believe the fight was weeks away and things still weren't 100 percent. It's a weird industry, the boxing world. I'm beginning to learn more about it. It's a lot less straightforward than the MMA world.
There could still be negotiations going on four weeks out, but the big mistake would be to mentally put off the heavy training until every detail is agreed upon. We are training now. We're ready for that date in the fall, whenever that might be. We'll let the lawyers and suits deal with the nuances of who gets this and who gets that. Conor is a fighter. I am his coach. We'll focus on the contest at hand.
Kavanagh will be given the task of coaching McGregor up and preparing him for a battle outside of the cage. Luckily for McGregor, Kavanagh already has a plan in motion:
Coach Kavanagh: McGregor Vs. Mayweather Will ‘Absolutely’ Happen
