A fight between Floyd Mayweather (L) and Conor McGregor (R) could happen. Photos / Getty
A fight between Floyd Mayweather (L) and Conor McGregor (R) could happen. Photos / Getty
Oh, who to believe when it comes to the mooted Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight.
On Tuesday morning, prominent American sports commentator Colin Cowherd, who regularly interviews the likes of UFC boss Dana White on his show The Herd, left no doubt about whether the UFC superstar and boxing legend will meet in the ring.
"My intel is that Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather is going to happen," Cowherd said.
"It changed late last week. I got a call, then somebody else sent me something yesterday and Saturday (saying) 'we've booked rooms in Vegas'."
Cowherd said fight fans won't have to wait long to watch the bout, declaring it would happen in September.
That's a pretty definitive call. The only problem is it came on the same day similarly well-connected Yahoo Sports combat sports writer Kevin Iole asked the public to "stop with the Mayweather-McGregor talk".
"The idea of a potential bout - a boxing match - between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is sheer lunacy. It's almost certainly not going to happen and yet Mayweather is leading many around like sheep," Iole wrote.
"It's been one of the most prominent topics in the fight game since a tabloid 'broke' the news a few weeks ago that a bout between the superstars was done.
"Nothing, of course, is further from the truth, but that hasn't stopped people from talking about it and acting like it's going to happen."
That's also pretty definitive - although you suspect Iole's position on the topic is swayed somewhat from his absolute opposition to the idea of the fight happening.
So we'll continue to wait for something official.
White told Yahoo Sports he plans to lock in McGregor's next fight when he returns to Las Vegas next week from a short vacation in Mexico.
Fixing a date for the Irishman to return to the Octagon is the swiftest way to end chatter about Mayweather - if that's what White wants - because there's no incentive for the self-promoting former pound-for-pound champ to close his mouth.
McGregor finally sat down with the UFC last week to clear the air after a highly-publicised dispute over media appearances but a meeting with his potential next opponent, Nate Diaz, didn't go nearly as well.
It appears McGregor is in limbo while he waits for his next move, but Fox Sport's Damon Martin believes a rematch with Diaz is the most likely option.
"This still remains the top choice and most likely scenario for both fighters," Martin wrote.
"Despite a business meeting that went south as Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta tried to cut a deal with Diaz to put him into a fight with McGregor, it's really just a negotiation that should eventually get settled. What is most likely happening stems from a financial disagreement in which Diaz wants more than what he's being given to face McGregor a second time after dispatching him in relatively easy fashion at UFC 196.
"Diaz was paid a hefty sum for that fight, but the rematch will likely do even bigger business and he knows he has the upper hand. Yes, Diaz stands to make more money fighting McGregor than any other fight he could have on the UFC roster, but that doesn't mean he's going to cater to the promotion's needs without long-term financial security.
"Diaz knows McGregor is the person pushing for this fight to happen because he wants to avenge his previous loss. So Diaz now has leverage against McGregor and the UFC and he's going to play it for everything it's worth.
"Still, at the end of the day, Diaz should be able to find common ground with the UFC to make the fight with McGregor happen. Whether it actually takes place at UFC 202 in August as first rumoured is still anybody's guess.
"The good news is that fight card is still a full three months away, so there's time to get a deal done - but with each passing day that window closes just a little bit more than the day before."
