Mayweather: McGregor kind of shocked me

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had some of the meanest pre-fight trash talk since Benny Paret called Emile Griffith a “maricon” and was beaten death. Afterward, however, each was so admirably respectful you’d think they just made each other rich.

He’s a hell of a fighter standing up — he kind of shocked me, said Mayweather, as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. Our game plan was to take our time, let him shoot all these heavy shots, keep walking him down, keep walking him down, shoot heavy shots to the body, shoot big shots upstairs. My dad thought it was going to go a little bit earlier around the seventh or the sixth, but it took us a little longer than expected, but we did what we said we were going to do.

I told you people I guarantee you this fight wouldn’t go the distance. I told you I was going for the knockout, I was going straight ahead.

I could have easily outboxed Conor McGregor, counterpunched him all night. That’s not what I wanted to do. I wanted to go out with a bang. I told you guys I wanted to go straight ahead. I felt like I owed that to the fans for the Pacquiao fight, even though I don’t owe anybody anything. I put the pressure on myself and did it myself. That was a goal of mine. I told you guys it wouldn’t go the distance.

For the last month I didn’t do no sparring. There’s no excuses. He came out here, he fought a hell of a fight, a hell of a standup guy. But I went out there to do what I do best. Find a way to trap him and then broke him down.

I wanted my hands to be 100 percent for the fight. My hands are real brittle, everyone knows that. I wanted my hands to be solid when I come out here so when I’m shooting hard shots I’m able to put the guy down.

Mayweather also again said he is retired. Or is he?