It’s the fight everyone’s talking about that’s no closer to happening. Mayweather vs. McGregor, or MayMac if you will. Despite being hotly debated and frankly talked to death for over a year now, the fabled boxing match between “Money” and the UFC’s only simultaneous two-division champion is still nowhere close to being made. Showtime Sports Executive VP Stephen Espinoza confirmed as much recently on the Yahoo Sports Boxing with Chris Mannix podcast.
When asked about the potential boxing vs. MMA showdown, Espinoza compared the situation to MayPac, and noted that at least one hurdle has been cleared. “Part of the battle, the biggest battle in Mayweather-Pacquiao was both guys thinking that the other wanted to do it. That part has happened” he told the podcast. “So I think the real question, and it’s sort of a black box right now, is where is [the] UFC really on this? Do they in fact want it?” he continued.
Wait, hasn’t Dana White been saying for a while now that he thinks the fight will happen? The Showtime exec alluded to this.
“Dana, who I assume is speaking on behalf of the UFC, is making noises that he’s open to it, but talk is talk, and I haven’t seen a lot of progress either internally with a deal between the two of them, or externally, the deal between that side and this side.” he stated. “So it’s largely at a standstill. There hasn’t been a ton of progress.”
It appears fight fans might be waiting a little longer for the next “Fight of the Century” to go down. Which, given how the last one (MayPac) turned out, might not be such a bad thing after all.
Perhaps the most telling statement, however, was Espinoza suggesting that the window of interest in MayMac could be coming to a close. “I think if they don’t move relatively quickly, people may move on.”
So will MayMac ever come to fruition? Espinoza doesn’t think so, saying he feels it “probably won’t happen.”
