Floyd Mayweather says he will not switch to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) despite claims he has been in talks over a deal.
“I never said I was going to fight in the UFC,” he told FightHype. “I didn’t say that. I said if I wanted to, and what I could do. Would and could do is different things. I’m not going to do it though.”
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier this month Mayweather claimed that if he was to fight in the UFC he could make $1billion (£747.9million).
He said: “They talk about ‘oh yeah Floyd said he’s fighting in the UFC for a billion dollars’. That’s not what I said.
“Exactly what I said is this: if I made over a billion dollars before, I could do it again. If I chose to get in the UFC and fight three fights or fight four fights and then fight Conor McGregor, I could make a billion dollars, which I can.
“I could do it in three fights, or even four fights, I can make a billion dollars if I choose to get in the octagon and fight. Fight three or four fights and then fight Conor McGregor in the octagon.
The boxing icon went on to express his lack of enthusiasm for returning to the ring. “We just don’t know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather and I don’t look forward to getting back in the boxing ring.
“I’m just saying I could. I’m not doing it but I’m saying what I could do to make a billion dollars quick if i wanted to do it.”