Floyd Mayweather says he “chose
the right dance partner” for his final contest, after stopping UFC lightweight
champion Conor McGregor in the 10th round of their Las Vegas super-fight,
saying that he has fought his last fight.
The 40-year-old
American extended his perfect record to 50-0 having come out of
retirement for what could be boxing’s most lucrative fight.
After several heated exchanges in
the build-up, Mayweather said the fighters gave the fans “what they wanted”.
“He is a tough competitor,” he
said.
“He was a lot better than I thought.
But I was the better man.
“I guaranteed everybody this
would not go the distance. Boxing’s reputation was on the line.”
Mayweather, whose victory meant
he surpassed Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins without defeat, said he “looked
forward to going down in the Hall of Fame”.
“This was my last fight, for
sure,” said the former five-weight world champion. “I chose the right dance
partner. Conor McGregor, you are a hell of a champion.
“A win is a
win, no matter how you get it.”
McGregor, 29, was making his
professional boxing debut at the T-Mobile Arena.
The Irishman looked to be on top
in the early rounds but Mayweather, who boasts 27 knockouts in his 50
victories, said he was unfazed.
“Our gameplan was to take our
time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the
stretch,” he said.
“We know in MMA he fights for 25
minutes. After 25 minutes, he started to slow down.”
McGregor felt referee Robert Byrd
stopped the fight “a bit early”.
He said: “I thought it was close.
I get a little wobbly when I’m tired.
“The referee could have let it
keep going, let the man put me down. I am clear-headed.”
‘You Won’t See Me Any More’
Mayweather first retired
after beating Andre Berto in September 2015, claiming he had “nothing
left to prove”.
But after beating McGregor, he
said he was “not a fool”, adding: “If I see an opportunity to make $300m
(£232m) in 36 minutes, I will.”
However, he added: “This is my
last one. You won’t see me anymore. Any guy that’s calling me out, forget it.
“I look forward to becoming a
boxing trainer, helping fighters.”
Mayweather admitted the fight had
gone on longer than he and father Floyd Sr had expected.
“I did what I do best,” he said.
“I found a way to trap him and broke him down.
“Me and my father, we don’t
always see eye to eye but we get great results.
“My dad thought it would be the
seventh or sixth. It took us a little longer than expected but we did what we
said we would do.”
During the fight, Mayweather
seemed angered by McGregor punching him to the back of his head.
“I let the referee do his job,”
he said. “I’m not here to bash the referee but you know what was going on. A
lot of rabbit punching.
“In 21 years I had some great
fights, some boring fights, but at the end of the day I will always be seen as
a winner.”
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