Mayweather hits the headlines with European tour as rumours persist that he will fight again

Floyd Mayweather Jr is a man who just can’t keep out of the headlines. Over recent weeks, he has been touring Europe with his one-man show, regaling audiences with tales from his colourful life both inside and outside the ring. But still, the rumours persist that the 43 year old could be tempted out of retirement one last time for his biggest money fight yet. 

From Antwerp to Amsterdam

Mayweather kicked off his tour in the town of Antwerp last month, before moving on to eight different venues across the UK, from Glasgow in the north to London in south. But he also took the opportunity to visit some other iconic venues including Cologne, where he hit the night clubs, and Amsterdam, home to one of Europe’s most contemporary casinos.

Mayweather’s fondness for a wager is legendary. His famous high roller antics would certainly stand out at Holland Casino, where more modest gambling habits along the “just for fun” model advocated by sites like Bet Boss are the norm. Still, to the most box office boxer of the decade, wins and losses are counted in the millions. That’s part of the reason his third retirement might not have been his last. 

Mayweather vs McGregor II? 

It is no secret that Mayweather’s incredible ability to lose millions at the card table or sportsbook was a contributing factor to his coming out of retirement for a second time for an estimated $300 million payday when he took on Conor McGregor in 2017. Grand Rapids’ favourite son is renowned for teasing fans and the press on social media, so Tweets and shares need to be taken with a pinch of salt. However, an Instagram post hinting at a rematch got social channels buzzing last week. 

Most agree, though, that this is something that has been done and that even the biggest fans on either side would be lukewarm about repeating. A far more tempting possibility could involve McGregor’s biggest UFC rival. 

Or Mayweather vs Nurmagomedov I?

Last week, Khabib Nurmagomedov told Yahoo Sport he had been offered $100 million to fight Mayweather in Saudi Arabia this year. Like the McGregor encounter, the bout would be staged as a boxing match and unsurprisingly, the man from Dagestan is in favour of making it happen. At a media event in Las Vegas, he said the Saudis badly want the fight to take place, but he left reporters in no doubt regarding his motivation, adding it would be: “only for the money, period.”

This is one topic on which the two fighters appear to be of a single view. Mayweather whose net worth is approximately $450 million told his Instagram followers “‘I’m retired but I’m not retired from getting a couple of dollars,” and added that if he could add another $300 million to the sum he earned fighting McGregor, just for indulging in some “fun, easy entertainment,” he would do so. 

Any further announcement is likely to be several weeks down the line in view of the coronavirus situation and the tragic death of Josie Harris. But it seems more likely than not that a Mayweather return could become a reality later this year.