Very little of what Conor McGregor does is done without significant thought.
McGregor has mastered the art of fight-promotion like no other and he does his homework on his opponents so that when the time comes to get personal, he’s ready.
‘The Notorious’ did his research on Floyd Mayweather’s past and proved that when he referenced C.J. Watson earlier this year, when he was attempting to goad the 49-0 boxer into agreeing to a lucrative super-fight.
The Watson barb returned at the weekend, when McGregor got into an Instagram spat with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who was unhappy at the sight of the Irishman in the Warriors’ No. 23 jersey.
Call me C.J Watson! https://t.co/9m2Omw4Wca pic.twitter.com/GZMzxxTsbb
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 11, 2017
But in his cutting replies, McGregor explained that his decision to wear that particular number was a dig at Mayweather’s past.
In case you don’t know who C.J. Watson is, he’s a basketball player who was involved in the break-up of Mayweather and his ex.
In 2010, Mayweather was involved in a domestic violence incident with his then-girlfriend Josie Harris, an act which saw the boxer imprisoned for two months.
Mayweather appeared to have attempted to rationalise the incident during a 2013 documentary entitled ’30 Days In May’ and that didn’t sit well with Harris, who subsequently agreed to speak to Yahoo Sports! to tell her side of the story.
It was in that interview that new information came to light as Harris explained how Mayweather had grown infuriated after learning of a text message exchange between her and NBA guard C.J. Watson.
So essentially McGregor had compared himself to the man who Mayweather’s ex-partner was accused of cheating on Mayweather with.
But the UFC lightweight champion’s reference to a catalyst in a domestic violence incident in an attempt to get under Mayweather’s skin does not sit well with Harris.
In a statement from Harris’ legal team to TMZ Sports, it was requested that McGregor refrains from exploiting that particular subject in the weeks leading up to the August 26 bout.
“[The stunt] demonstrates not only an insensitivity toward the emotional wellbeing and privacy of the victim of Mayweather’s dom. violence, but also a general disregard for the physical and emotional trauma and long-lasting psychological impacts suffered by victims of dom. abuse,” Harris’ attorney, Dan Friedlander, said.
“On behalf of Josie Harris, her and Mayweather’s three children, and all victims of domestic violence, we ask that Conor McGregor refrain from capitalising off of the trauma suffered by her and other victims of domestic abuse.”
