It has been a wild ride as it pertains to the superfight between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and undefeated 49-0 boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Earlier this year, it was officially announced that McGregor would be making his professional boxing debut against "Money" inside the squared circle of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada next month (Sat. August 26, 2017). Despite the fact that McGregor has no experience at the professional level inside a boxing ring, and the fact that nobody is giving him a chance come fight night next month, the Irishman is taking this bout very seriously.
A four-stop World Tour was recently held last week to promote the upcoming combat sports spectacle, with stops in cities around the world such as Los Angeles, Toronto, Brooklyn, and London.
Of course, when two of the brashest stars the combat worlds sport has ever seen go toe-to-toe on the mic, there is certain to be some controversy regarding what they say to one another. This was the case with McGregor who sparked an uproar amongst some fans when he used the term 'dance for me boy' against Mayweather.
Some people accused the Irishman of being a racist, as he continuously used the phrase throughout the tour. McGregor responded to the accusations during the Brooklyn stop of the tour, but didn't make things much better as he claimed he was, in fact, black himself all from the belly button down.
He then presented a 'gift' to his black female fans by thrusting his hips slowly in the air. Mayweather didn't take too kindly to this, as he said McGregor disrespected black women with his actions (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“He totally disrespected my daughter, he disrespected the mother of my daughter, he disrespected black women and he called black people monkeys,” Mayweather said.
“What I want to say is this: I’m proud to be a black man. I’m proud to be an American, and I love everybody. And I have a diverse team.
“You can't do that. Conor McGregor, you cannot disrespect black women, you can't disrespect black people -- period. We’ve been through a lot.”
McGregor's father, Tony McGregor, joined The MMA Hour recently to respond to the racist claims against his son, and said that "The Notorious One" is 'unequivocally not a racist':
“Conor McGregor is not racist,” Tony McGregor said. “This fight is not about race, this fight is about skill and technique. In fact, I don't think any fight is ever about race.
"The color of skin is immaterial. It’s the victory that Conor is looking for. It's imperative, that’s the only thing I'd say in that.”
“Conor is absolutely, unequivocally not racist,” Tony McGregor said. “It’s not about skin color. No two combatants would ever get into a ring and the issue would be the color of their opposing skin. No, absolutely not. It’s a fight issue, not a race issue.”
What are your thoughts on McGregor's father's comments regarding the racist accusations against his son? Have your say in the comments section below!