The Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor media tour continued this week, and following stops in Canada and Los Angeles, the press conference in New York City degenerated into name calling and racist remarks.
Prior to last night’s press conference at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NYC, McGregor caught heat for requesting that Mayweather “dance for me, boy”, which many perceived as a racist remark.
McGregor spoke with USA Today following the press conference, and had the following to say, clarifying the remark he made towards Money Mayweather:
“I’m very multi-cultured. I’m a multi-cultured individual. I don’t have any ill feelings toward anybody. I don’t even see color. I just wanted to say something and have a little fun with it. I just wanted to address it and play with it in my own little way. It’s stupid and it’s ridiculous and that’s basically what I was getting at. A lot of media seem to be saying I’m against black people. That’s absolutely f—ing ridiculous. Did they not know I’m half-black? Yeah! I’m half-black from the bellybutton down!”
Mayweather did not take too kindly to McGregor’s comments towards African-Americans, African-American women specifically, and offered the following response, h/t CBSSports.com:
“Disrespecting my daughter, disrespecting the mother of my daughter, disrespecting black woman, calling black people monkeys — it’s totally disrespectful,” Mayweather said. “I have a diverse team, a diverse staff. When I was young, I may have said some things that I shouldn’t have said when I was young. But we live, we learn and you don’t say those things when you get to a certain age. It’s all about growth and maturity.”
“It’s total disrespect and today he came out and did it again,” Mayweather said. “I don’t care if it’s white women, black women, white men, black men, Asian, Latina or Latino — you don’t disrespect people. To get respect you must give respect. We live and we learn. Like I said before, as we get older we grow and get wisdom and maturity and I guess when he get older he’ll probably look back and say, ‘I probably shouldn’t have said that.'”
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Mayweather went on to break down what he feels is a double standard in how the media has portrayed him over the years, versus how they treat a white man like Conor McGregor:
“Racism still exists. What’s flashy — I’ve been flashy for years,” Mayweather said. “Mink coats, and y’all know I’ve been driving Ferraris and Bentleys and Rolls Royce for over 20 years. All this flashy stuff, I was doing it. ‘Oh, he’s arrogant. He’s cocky, he’s this and he’s that. He’s unappreciative.’ But then you take the same guy who is in combat sports and take my whole blueprint and he do it and they praise him.
“Boy, boy, boy. But these are the things that we don’t see. We act like we don’t see. But life goes on and I will always stand my ground and believe in what I believe in. I believe in treating everybody fair. I believe that if you violate, we will demonstrate. I believe to truly get respect, you have to give respect.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
