CONOR McGREGOR and Floyd Mayweather kept the hype train rolling as their four-day press tour landed in Toronto last night and, unsurprisingly, things got out of control quickly.
The pair pointed into each other’s faces after making their way onto the Budweiser Stage in a much more heated staredown than at the previous day’s press conference in Los Angeles.
The pair are due to face off in a boxing superfight in Las Vegas on August 28.
Moments into proceedings McGregor grabbed the mic and taunted Mayweather for having strippers on his payroll, not wearing a suit and bringing along a ‘schoolbag’ when he can’t read.
McGregor also encouraged his fans in the 16,000 strong crowd to chant “f*** the Mayweathers”.
The Crumlin native went on in typically provocative fashion: “Look at this little weasel, I can see it in your eyes. Cut my mic off, cut the champ's mic off? Hell no, you f****** b****.
“There is nothing they can do to phase me. 28 years of age. I’m getting fight cheques and promoter cheques. When Floyd was 28 he was on Oscar De la Hoya's undercard and that’s just facts.”
What was hilarious about Mayweather calling Conor an "eejit" was he'd obviously been told that was a huge "Irish insult"!
— Jarlath Regan (@Jarlath) July 13, 2017
McGregor mentioned that Toronto was the host city three years ago when he made his name in UFC by beating Jose Aldo, a man he claims was the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world at that time and compared his unlikely victory on that occasion to the task he now faces.
He said: “Toronto, what a city. I was here three years ago, I was also on a world tour, facing an unconquerable quest, facing the pound-for-pound No 1 fighter on the planet, Jose Aldo.
“They said the same things then as they’re saying now, they said I had no chance, they said I'm in over my head. ‘The Irish man is going to fall short’, they said. It took me 13 seconds.”
Mayweather fired right back and grabbed an Irish Tricolour from the crowd.
We've got a mole in Ireland. Someone told him the word Eejit.
— Andrew McGahon (@andrewmcgahon_) July 12, 2017
As Mayweather draped himself in the green, white and orange, McGregor went and grabbed a wad of cash from Mayweather’s bag.
"You do something with that flag, I'll f*** you up," McGregor said as he looked into the Mayweather rucksack.
"That's it? There's about five grand in here. Just know if you do something with that flag, you ain't getting this bag or this money back. I'll f*** you up on this stage."
The drama got even more surreal when Mayweather walked up to McGregor and called him a “f***ing eejit” – the 40-year-old five-division world champion clearly having done his homework on the lingo of the Emerald Isle.
Mayweather's use of what is perhaps Ireland’s mildest insult prompted a hysterical reaction on Twitter.
I come home and Floyd Mayweather is on my telly calling people "eejit" and wearing a tricolour. What is life?
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) July 12, 2017
"I come home and Floyd Mayweather is on my telly calling people "eejit" and wearing a tricolour. What is life?” tweeted one Irish fan.
"Does Mayweather actually think eejit is a curse or a proper insult in Ireland?" said another.
The next stop for the circus is New York on today before the pair take to London’s Wembley Arena on Friday, with McGregor pretty much guaranteed to put on a show for the crowd much closer to home.
