Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor moving toward possible bout

Retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC champion Conor McGregor continue to push a potential fight that would generate worldwide interest.

"I have my eyes on one thing and that's Floyd Mayweather," UFC lightweight champion McGregor said in a pay-per-view interview Saturday in Manchester, England. "That's the thing I have my eyes on."

Mayweather, the 49-0 former champion who retired in September 2015, responded hours later.

"I believe the fight could happen. He's a tough competitor and has proved throughout the years in the UFC that he can fight standing up," the 39-year-old Mayweather said in an interview with Showtime during a Saturday night boxing card in Las Vegas. "So we'll just have to see what the future holds.

"Can we make this fight happen? Absolutely. That's what everyone wants to see and of course Showtime is the biggest and the best in the business so hopefully a Showtime pay-per-view, we can make it happen."

UFC president Dana White recently made an offer of $25 million each to McGregor and Mayweather, with a cut of the pay-per-view profits, but downplayed the two fighters ever meeting in the ring.

Appearing at UFC Fight Night in Denver on Saturday night, White said: "Here's what I think ... the chances are about the same as me being the backup quarterback for (Tom) Brady on (Super Bowl) Sunday."

McGregor is the UFC's top pay-per-view draw and Mayweather's May 2015 bout against Manny Pacquiao had a record 4.6 million buys, according to the Los Angeles Times.

McGregor, a 28-year-old Irishman, said the purses offered aren't enough money to get the deal done.

"I'm happy an offer was made. We're getting there," McGregor said. "... We're moving up. It's still not there yet, but it's closing in on it. If Manny and Floyd (fight) did half a billion, this is a billion dollar fight. People gotta pay for it."

McGregor (21-3) is the UFC lightweight champion and hasn't fought since he won the 155-pound title by knocking out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November.

"Me and Floyd have got to get together and talk and figure it out the same way him and Manny figured it out," McGregor said. "Once we come to a number ... that I'm happy with, that he's happy with, then we go to the customers. Then we go to the promoters, the buyers and then we get it done. That's next."