LISTEN: ‘Once that bell rings, anything can happen’ – David Haye insists Conor McGregor is more than capable of upsetting Floyd Mayweather in super-fight
David Haye insists Conor McGregor is more than capable of ending Floyd Mayweather’s unbeaten record in their upcoming super-fight in Las Vegas.
The hype for the August boxing match is now very real, with the two superstar fighters going viral online for trading insults during their world promotion tour.
Irish icon McGregor seems to have won over a huge number of fans during the tour so far, with the majority of the 16,000 fans at a press conference in Toronto on Wednesday cheering the UFC star and his jibes aimed at his American opponent.
But many boxing fans - and legends of the sport - have completely written off the mixed martial artist’s chances of victory against the former five-weight world boxing champion.
Haye, though, has sent out a warning not to underestimate McGregor, saying that many got it wrong when he was beaten by fellow Brit Tony Bellew back in March.
Speaking on the Hawksbee and Jacobs show, the Hayemaker said: “Once that bell rings, anything can happen.
“People are saying that Conor McGregor doesn’t have a chance against Mayweather, but they were the same people who said Tony Bellew didn’t have a chance against me
“In the boxing ring, anything can happen - what happens if Mayweather snaps his Achilles tendon in the first round?
“Mayweather is 42 years old, so anything is possible. To have two finely tuned athletes in the ring together makes for an exciting fight. I’m a big fan of these mixed events - I really think they’re going to be the future of both sports.”
On the fight build-up and global hype surrounding the fight, Haye added: “I love it. I, more than anybody else, like to hype a fight and McGregor is the master.
“He’s the highest grossing mixed martial artist in history; he’s really put mixed martial arts and UFC on the map. If you didn’t know of it before, you surely know about it now.
“Mayweather has also done that with boxing, he’s the highest grossing sportsman in the history of sport. In one fight he took home nearly half a billion - the guy is a moneymaking machine.
“These guys talk so much smack and they really have the confidence of people who truly believe they’re going to win.
“It’s intriguing. I’ve got my flights booked and tickets booked, I can’t wait for it, it’s going to be a great night.
“Whether or not the fight is going to be entertaining, that’s irrelevant - it’s all about the event and it doesn’t get any bigger than Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor.”