UFC president Dana White said he expected the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor international press tour to be a “[expletive] show.”
He was right.
It was predictably over-the-top but undeniably effective. More people are talking about the Aug. 26 boxing showdown today than were talking about it Monday, which means more people are likely to lay down the cost of the pay-per-view come fight night.
At times it was great theatre. At times it was contrived and embarrassing.
The four-day, four-city spectacle that spanned three countries concluded Friday in England. With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the highlights (or lowlights depending on your perspective) of the world tour.
Day 1 – Los Angeles
It was a surreal moment when the two combat sports superstars came face to face for the first time. Mayweather wore a stars and stripes hoodie while McGregor donned a suit with pinstripes that spelled out “[Expletive] You.”
McGregor was caught off guard slightly with the structure of the press conference, but that didn’t stop him from making a bold proclamation.
“He will be unconscious inside four rounds,” McGregor said. “The movement, the power, the ferociousness. He’s not experienced this … I don’t fear him.”
McGregor’s words, nor the booing from the crowd at Staples Center, seemed to bother Mayweather as the 49-0 boxer responded.
• Mayweather-McGregor promo tour gets off to frenzied start
• Twitter reaction from first Mayweather-McGregor world tour stop
Day 2 – Toronto
The consensus is that the Canadian leg of the tour was the best of the bunch.
McGregor had the crowd of 16,000 at Budweiser Stage buckled over in laughter on a number of occasions as he roasted his opponent, throwing shade at Mayweather’s family and Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza.
The event started roughly an hour after it was scheduled to begin, but no one seemed to mind because there was a satisfying payoff. Drake was even among the spectators.
• Brunt: Amid the Mayweather-McGregor hype, don’t forget this is theatre
• Johnston: Stars aligning for Conor McGregor to make history in more ways than one
• Loung: Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to win by playing the villain
• Bennett: Takeaways from Mayweather-McGregor in Toronto: Canada loves Conor
• Zwelling: A win over Mayweather would only advance McGregor’s meteoric rise
• McGregor favourite in Toronto during tour stop with Mayweather
Day 3 – Brooklyn
New York was certainly the most gimmicky stop on the tour. The entire saga felt like a four-day WWE segment and the two men were near caricatures of themselves at Barclays Center.
McGregor wore a white fur coat, no shirt, sunglasses as he went full showman.
Mayweather, shockingly enough, spoke about money a lot.
• Mayweather showers McGregor with bills at tour stop in Brooklyn
• Mayweather, McGregor smack tour only free thing for fans
Day 4 – London
Friday’s event saw Mayweather at his most aggressive, telling McGregor repeatedly, “I’ll knock you the [expletive] out.” At one point, McGregor patted Mayweather on the head and Mayweather uttered a homophobic slur, but it never got physical.
• Watch: Mayweather, McGregor get ‘Bad Lip Reading’ treatment
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