Floyd Mayweather has said he would consider being enlisted as a promoter should the fight between Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise become a reality.
The former world champion boxer addressed Bieber’s recent incongruous call for a scrap with Cruise at the UFC Octagon. Bieber’s bizarre challenge, which he later said was a joke, has since gathered steam as a potentially historic – and lucrative – sporting event.
Speaking to TMZ, Mayweather said: “If they bring me in as a promoter, then I can talk about it. But until then, I gotta stay in my lane. Gotta stay in my business.”
The move wouldn’t be totally out of step. In 2014, Mayweather invited Bieber to walk him to the ring for a fight, and he also once trained the pop star to box. However, the pair reportedly fell out in 2017 over Bieber’s rumoured distancing from the ex-boxer who was seen as a bad influence.
Last month, TMZ, reported further that UFC boss Dana White had received confirmation from Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, that the singer was indeed open to stepping into the Octagon. However, there needs to be mutual interest on Cruise’s side.
To that end, entertainment mogul Ari Emanuel, whose firm William Morris Endeavor owns UFC, reportedly told Braun that he thinks Cruise is equally fascinated by the idea. There has been no public response to date by Cruise.