Anderson Silva calls Floyd Mayweather 'Papa Smurf'
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva apparently doesn't think much of boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
"Who?" was Silva's reply to rapper and reporter Sway Calloway when asked about his opinion on the welterweight champion, who tangles with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on September 14, during a guesting on Calloway's show "Sway in the Morning".
'Who is this guy? Mayweather what?" Silva continued in mock surprise when Calloway kept mentioning Mayweather's name.
"This guy is, uh, Smurfy? Is he a Smurf?" Silva continued.
"Floyd Mayweather," replied a now-smiling Calloway.
"I don't know this guy," said Silva, eliciting laughter from some people in the studio who were listening.
Determined to get a straight reply from Silva, Calloway pressed on.
"What do you think of him as a boxer, though?" Calloway asked. "I mean, he's undefeated. Many have tried, and everyone has failed. What do you think of him as just a boxer?"
"Boxing is a great sport," Silva said. "My dad was a boxer for a long time in Brazil…People in the United States love boxing. I watched Roy Jones, Oscar De La Hoya, Vinnie Pazienza."
"Floyd Mayweather defeated Oscar De La Hoya," Calloway pointed out.
"Who?" was Silva's reply once more. "Who's this guy? The great man in boxing, in my opinion, is Muhammad Ali. [He] gave the chance for change for the world, inside and outside the ring."
When Calloway once again asked him about Mayweather, Silva again feigned ignorance and said, "Oh, he's a boxer? I don't know this guy."
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When a listener called in to ask Silva what his issue was with Mayweather, Silva referred to Floyd as "Papa Smurf".
Finally after much cajoling from Calloway, Silva gave Mayweather grudging respect, calling him a "good boxer", but quickly added: "I don't need to talk too much because the guy don't respect me…Sorry, I don't respect Mayweather."
Silva, who is coming off a shocking loss to Chris Wiedman in UFC 162 last month, was referring to an interview Mayweather gave to ESNews several weeks ago, where he said he didn't know who Silva was.
Mayweather vs. Silva: now that's a fight worth watching.
