So a man who has never set foot in a boxing ring as a professional will get the chance to claim a prize reserved for the sport’s greatest contributors.
When Floyd Mayweather welcomes Conor McGregor to the ring on August 26, he will possibly do so with the WBC Diamond Championship on the line.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has revealed that the governing body is open to the idea of giving Mayweather the opportunity to reclaim the super-welterweight title, that he never lost, in 10 weeks’ time.
Not only that but, according to Sulaiman, the Council would also consider putting their esteemed Diamond Belt on the line.
The WBC Diamond Belt is typically put up for grabs in historic boxing matches to mark the significance of the occasion.
Manny Pacquiao was the first man to claim the title, when he won his sixth world title by stopping Miguel Cotto in 2009.
Mayweather also won the Diamond Belt when he overcame Cotto and the WBC suggests it could well be at stake once more when he comes out of retirement to clash with the Irishman.
“Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not against it,” Sulaiman said to ESPN of the potential decision. “Of course this is a WBC board decision but we have to celebrate that boxing is having world attention regardless.”
The WBA had previously insisted that they had no intention of sanctioning Mayweather vs. McGregor but those on the WBC board don’t seem too averse to the idea.
“Mayweather retired as champion so he was awarded the champion emeritus and we never thought he would return to boxing,” Sulaiman added.
“He was great, retired a millionaire and was a great icon for the sport. Now he has decided to return and fight a mixed martial arts superstar so it is difficult to evaluate.
“When you have a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand, they make their career and then they jump into international boxing and many have been very successful.
“McGregor has been successful in MMA but in boxing rules it’s going to be a very difficult challenge for him.”
