Ronda Rousey and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Photos: Getty Images)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn’t seem to like it when a woman talks back to him.
Responding to UFC fighter extraordinaire, Ronda Rousey’s recent taunts that she makes more money per second than Mayweather does, the undefeated welterweight champ hit back.
"Last time I checked I was No. 1 on Forbes," Mayweather told TMZ Sports through a representative on Thursday, referring to the list of the world's highest-paid athletes that the magazine publishes.
"She will never be at my status,” he snapped. “Keep trying to get publicity."
The two undefeated fighters have been engaging in a war on words, with Rousey saying that she would beat Mayweather in a no-rules bout.
Asked about Rousey on SportsCenter, the boxer replied, "I've yet to see any MMA fighter, or other boxer, make over $300 million in 36 minutes. When she can do that, then call me."
On Wednesday, Rousey, who is partly of Venezuelan descent, amped up the hype. "I actually did the math, and I … make two to three times more than he does per second,” Rousey told TMZ. “So when he learns to read and write, he can text me."
The MMA fighter’s last three fights have lasted just 1:04, while Mayweather is known as a tactical fighter – his last bout that didn’t go the distance was four years ago, when he knocked out Victor Ortiz.
The dig at Mayweather’s literacy recalled another famous war of words between the pugilist nicknamed “Money” and another celebrity, rapper 50 Cent (whose given name is Curtis Jackson), who in 2014 challenged the boxer and former business associate to read one page from Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat” without making a mistake.
Mayweather’s response was to tweet out a photo of two checks to his promotion company with many zeroes on them. He captioned them, “Read this $72,276,000.00. God bless.”
A message that almost certainly struck home with 50 Cents, who has since declared bankruptcy.
In their back-and-forth, Rousey has also taken shots at Mayweather for his history of domestic violence toward girlfriends.
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