Showtime Exec Responds To Conor McGregor’s Presser Comments
Yesterday (July 12, 2017), Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor faced off in Toronto, Canada on the second stop of a four day world tour to promote their Aug. 26 boxing match.
McGregor once again spoke before Mayweather, and as expected, he didn’t hold back. In fact, the “Notorious” one even called out Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza. The Irishman believes Showtime shut his microphone off in Los Angeles earlier this week, and he took his frustrations out on Espinoza, calling him a ‘weasel’ and a ‘b*tch’.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com after the event, Espinoza admitted that he was a bit surprised by McGregor’s comments:
“I’m not sure whether it’s part of the show,” Espinoza said. “I’m not sure how much is a put on. It seemed more than that. It certainly wasn’t a wink and a nod. And it wasn’t backstage saying, ‘Hey, I’m doing it for the good of the show.’ The reality is you see what some athletes — whether combat sports or otherwise — the need to invent enemies and invent opponents to motivate. He’s obviously got that in Floyd. If this is part of his process of imagining the world against him and motivating himself, then that’s his his process.
“I’m a big boy. It’s certainly not somebody that has come after me as a network. It did take me a little bit by surprise, but it’s part of the entertainment value of the McGregor business.”
Espinoza then said Showtime wouldn’t attempt to discuss the issue with McGregor or his team, but he did say that he still has multiple opportunities to respond if need be:
“I don’t think so,” Espinoza said. “He’s a grown adult, I’m a grown adult. If that’s the way he wants to conduct himself, we as the network or me personally are not gonna change it. It’s one of the things that you appreciate Floyd for. Floyd certainly has his flaws like we all do, but there’s always been a sense of professionalism in everything he’s done. That isn’t always the case with some of his opponents.”
“I’d like to sleep on it, but it took me by surprise,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m a big boy and I still got two more opportunities to respond if I need to.”
What do you make of the situation?
