Chatter is spreading that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is considering un-retiring – Would this be the second or third time, or what? I can’t keep track – and fighting again.

I see some of you are making comparisons to the custom $100,000.00 chinchilla fur coat I wore last night to the off the rack, Rex rabbit fur Frank Lucas wore in his day. One thing for sure is I’ve always dressed fly from head to toe! I’ve been wearing chinchillas since the late 90’s, in fact I wore chinchilla boxing trunks in 2003 in my fight against Phillip Ndou. ‘American Gangster’ didn’t come out until 2007, which was my first time ever hearing of the confidential informant, Frank Lucas. Now I’ve been called plenty of things in my life, but being compared to a legendary snitch is not one of them! Honor & Loyalty has been my code throughout my entire life and that is how I will always remain! I’ve never wanted to be anything or anyone but MYSELF!

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Feb 5, 2018 at 11:31am PST

And not in a square ring, whispers say, but in a cage.

Yes, in an Octagon and presumably against rival Conor McGregor, who fought Floyd on his turf last August. The Irishman, a trash-talker who betters Mayweather in that realm, gave a solid account of himself before his lungs and legs betrayed him and Floyd stopped him in round ten.

Using mixed martial arts rules, we would figure McGregor could do the same to Floyd in round one on a UFC card. Thus we would be quite surprised if Floyd, at 40-plus, would scrap with the UFC’er using accepted MMA rules. Takedown, ground-and-pound, Floyd loses that aura of invincibility. Would an immense paycheck be worth it?

Floyd and Showtime’s President of Sports and Event Programming Stephen Espinoza were conferring and the cable chieftain posted a pic that hinted something was brewing.

You sleep. We don't. #AlwaysWorking #SBLII #MayweatherMMA pic.twitter.com/ARq9L5y2hC

— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) February 4, 2018

I asked his office for a confirm or deny on the “Floyd to UFC for McGregor sequel” story and was told that, for right now, the interaction Espinoza had with TMZ Sports on February 1 is still applicable. He was asked about a possible MMA fight for the “Money” man.

“It will be a topic of conversation,” Stephen told TMZ Sports, and we can assume, indeed, it was. The suit and the (ex – or is it?) fighter chatted it up in Minnesota.

That social post from Espinoza? He’s fanning flames, after Floyd laid down the kindling…

Come at the king, you best not miss…

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Jan 31, 2018 at 4:12pm PST

“There’s a chance…Whatever he puts his mind to, he sort of wills into happening. (Floyd) willed the McGregor fight into happening, so, if he sets his mind to it, it’ll happen,” said the exec, noting he’d support Floyd if he took up ice hockey. Could Floyd beat Conor? Espinoza hesitated and offered that he’d not bet against Floyd.

Ah, but so many would…So many would want to see the spectacle. The setting and the rules set make a rematch that much more palatable, thus could better support the sort of paycheck size “Money” would seek.

And how much money would it take to lure Mayweather back? “He’s not an eight-figure guy anymore. He’s a nine-figure guy,” says Espinoza.

So there’s smoke. Will there be fire? Mayweather’s right hand man Leonard Ellerbe told me two weeks ago his guy is retired, for real this time, and he sees and hears nothing from Floyd that makes him think Money is coming off hiatus – I mean, un-retiring.

Readers, you think Floyd would do a UFC bout or one with modified rules? Talk to me!

Follow Michael Woods on Twitter @Woodsy1069.

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