‘You can’t even read!’ – Conor McGregor launches vicious attack on Floyd Mayweather as promo for fight reaches WWE-style levels of pantomime
Irishman delivers torrent of abuse in wrestling-style promotion for much-hyped bout
Conor McGregor probably won’t lay a glove on Floyd Mayweather in the ring, but he landed one verbal knockout blow after another as he turned the hype for next month’s fight into a pantomime not seen since the glory days of pro wrestling.
The latest stop of the promotional tour for the bout between mixed martial arts champ McGregor and 49-0 boxer Mayweather saw the Irishman unleash a Toronto torrent of foul-mouthed abuse, including accusing the American of being illiterate.
“How do I look?” said McGregor in a smart three-piece suit to roars of approval from the crowd, seemingly unanimously behind the UFC fighter.
Only took two press conferences for McGregor to tell Mayweather he can't read pic.twitter.com/pTMzHlgySk— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 12, 2017
“What the f*** is he wearing? He looks like a little 12-year-old breakdancer b****! What the f***! He’s 40!
“You’re 40 years of age,” added McGregor, turning directly to Mayweather. “Dress your f***ing age!
“Carrying a schoolbag on stage – you can’t even read!”
Mayweather has been mocked before by the likes of rapper 50 Cent for alleged reading difficulties.
“Floyd is an old, weak b****,” continued McGregor, who also led the crowd in a sweary chant against his opponent, and took time out to call Stephen Espinoza, the chief of Showtime Sports which is broadcasting the fight, a “f****** weasel” to wide approval from seemingly everyone on stage.
McGregor, who has no serious boxing experience and is widely expected to be easily dealt with by one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time, is certainly ensuring the event will get headlines, with his vaudeville act.
Mayweather, playing the villain and roundly booed, said “the fans can’t fight for you”.
“I can’t read? I do numbers, I do money.”
“You owe money,” replied McGregor, referring to the US$20-30 million in back taxes Mayweather owes.
“I’m 40 but I look 20,” added Mayweather.
“And you act 10,” replied McGregor.
Mayweather draped himself in an Ireland flag thrown on to the stage, prompting McGregor to take Mayweather’s “schoolbag” full of money.
He then looked in the backpack and scoffed at Mayweather some more.
“That’s it!? There’s only about $5,000 in here!”
The circus continues in New York tomorrow.
