Floyd Mayweather Jr. has changed the course of boxing in recent times. “Money” Mayweather has accrued a lot of wealth and star power in his nearly 20-year-long career. However, one person who seemingly despises Mayweather is Hawkeye star, Jeremy Renner. And on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Renner explained why he wasn’t a fan of Floyd.
Renner said that even though he hates Mayweather, he respects how good Floyd is at boxing. Renner initially gave a football analogy to explain his feelings on Money Mayweather. “It’s kind of like, the [Dallas] Cowboys and the [4]9ers, you gotta hate a team because they’re so good.” The Hurtlocker star then said, “It’s like Mayweather, I’ve always, you know, just have despised because he’s just so dang good. Like no one can hit the guy.”
“And I kind of want him to get hit. And I kind of want him to get hit hard. And I kind of want him to go down.” continued Renner. Apparently, Renner doesn’t hate Mayweather for his boxing style or his promotional antics, like most of his detractors. Renner’s hate for Floyd seems to stem from Floyd’s elusiveness and status as the greatest defensive boxer of all time.
Renner’s stance is quite understandable. Many fans and opponents alike find Floyd Mayweather’s boxing style to be extremely frustrating. However, no one can sanely argue against Mayweather’s skills or success.
Jeremy Renner was rooting for Conor McGregor to beat Floyd Mayweather
Renner was told on the same First Take appearance that his MCU co-star Idris Elba had predicted Conor McGregor to win the fight against Floyd Mayweather. The Hawkeye star was asked whether he believed McGregor would even land a punch. But Renner revealed that he was actually rooting for McGregor to win the fight against Floyd.
“You know I think I want that to happen,” said Renner. Stephen A. Smith, bewildered, immediately asked him why he thought that. Responding to this Renner joked, “I don’t know. Maybe cause I’m Irish.” Jeremy Renner also later told Smith why he gravitated towards supporting Conor.
Stephen A. Smith began ranting about how he didn’t dislike Conor’s trash talk because of his ability to back it up when it matters. Agreeing with this, Renner said, “I totally agree. I dig it, I dig him because of that. Just big ol’ mouth, and he’s got a big wink when he does it too.”
In the end it was Floyd Mayweather, who secured a historic victory over former UFC two division champion, Conor McGregor. Even though Jeremy Renner’s prediction was wrong the fans certainly witnessed one of the biggest fights in the combat sports history.