Freddie Roach has claimed that the much-anticipated boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is "likely to happen". Roach, who is the long-time trainer of eight division world champion and Mayweather adversary Manny Pacquiao, claims that Mayweather revealed his plans to fight the UFC superstar a few months ago whilst visiting his Wild Card boxing gym in Hollywood, California.
Mayweather and Mcgregor is "pointing in the right direction"
Speaking as a guest on MMA journalist Ariel Helwani's podcast "The MMA Hour" yesterday, Roach claimed that the time was right to make the fight given the surging popular of McGregor and the increasingly growing interest from the public to see the bout.
Roach who admits he was sceptical when rumours about the potential super fight came to fruition over a year ago but now believes that the fight is "likely to happen." Although Roach believes that McGregor (who has never competed professionally in a boxing match before) is a mismatch for the undefeated Mayweather, Roach thinks that McGregor's popularity and marketability mean that everything is "pointing in the right direction" for a big money match-up between the duo.
Mayweather tells Roach personally that bout with McGregor will happen
Roach has claimed that Mayweather recently visited his gym to check if McGregor had approached the esteemed coach to help him with his boxing ahead of the much-speculated clash between the pair.
Roach has acted as a mentor for several of Mayweather's past opponents, as well as helped to train other UFC stars such as Georges St.Pierre with their boxing. And despite Roach stating that he didn't see the bout as "possible" when rumours about the crossover match-up originally surfaced, he now says that his meeting with the 49-0 Mayweather has changed his mind, claiming that Mayweather told him personally that the fight was going to happen.
I am in Las Vegas. Floyd has retired on my arrival. pic.twitter.com/z9EcxBJaDr
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 15, 2017
Mayweather fighting Mcgregor is getting closer?
Despite talks about the potential fight taking place for well over 12 months now, with both men trading verbal jabs via a host of social media channels and interviews, progress with finalizing a deal has become more promising over the last few months.
Rumours circulated last week that the bout had been agreed to before McGregor claimed that he flew to Vegas to attend a meeting which Mayweather failed to attend. However, Mayweather has claimed that McGregor's contract with the UFC is holding up talks regarding the fight, with UFC president Dana White seemingly reiterating this statement last week by telling ESPN's Brett Okamoto that "no deal was even close to being done".
