The media is certainly in uncharted waters in what could be one of the most bizarre lead-ups to an event in the history of sports entertainment, but through all the antics of two outlandish pre-fight press conferences between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, FS1’s Rob Parker believes the legendary Irishman has taken the war of words down a dark path.
Parker has taken exception to Conor McGregor calling Floyd Mayweather ‘boy’ in his boisterous threats, especially in the full context of ‘dance with me boy’. Parker says the words have severe racial connotations that have been intertwined in racist epithets ever since slavery.
“I’ve very disturbed by it, I'm very bothered, I’m offended. Conor McGregor’s tone of calling a black man, 40-years-old, a ‘boy’ and saying ‘dance for me’ is offensive,” Parker said. “I don’t want to hear that he’s from another country and he doesn’t realize what he’s saying, he knows what he’s saying and it’s wrong.”
Parker went on to say that McGregor’s remarks have suddenly transformed this fight into a grudge match of boxing vs. UFC into a race war of a black vs. white, with Mayweather suddenly becoming a sympathetic figure to all African-Americans who have been bothered by McGregor's insensitivity.
“I didn’t think this fight was headed this way, but I think it's falling along racial lines,” he said. Mayweather is not a favorite of all black people, but I think all black people will be pulling for Floyd Mayweather because of the tone set by McGregor.”