Few stars could sell out 16,000 tickets just for a press conference, but boxing best Floyd Mayweather and UFC champion Conor McGregor did so at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto yesterday to promote their unprecedented Aug. 26 fight in Las Vegas. And who could let such a trash-talking public spectacle go by in his own backyard without showing up? Drake, of course.
After a performance by his latest signing to OVO Sound, Baka Not Nice, the rap star took to the stage to address his fellow combat sports nuts, whose boos for Mayweather tipped the scale.
“Listen, I’m gonna be honest. I came here today to witness history with each and everyone of you,” Drake said to cheers. “The biggest fight in the history of fighting, and, of course, they had to come to the greatest city in the world and do a press conference. So, whether it is Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather or whether it is the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor, I just want to welcome these two fighters to Toronto, a place that we love till the day that we are all gone. Let’s get into this s–t.”
The amusing insult-laden boast bout was like a rap song in overdrive. To get people hyped in the lead up to Mayweather and McConor’s appearance onstage, DJ Jay Bling, of The Money Team (Mayweather’s camp), played tracks by the likes of JAY-Z and Eminem.
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After the public conference, Billboard had a chance to ask Mayweather what songs he trains to or uses to get pumped for a fight. He didn’t list any specific tracks, but said: “I like a little bit of everything. I don’t want nobody to stereotype me and say, ‘He just like R&B’ or ‘He just like rap.’ I like all type of music. I like country. I like pop. I like rock ‘n’ roll. I like a little bit of everything. I’m versatile.”
Toronto’s press conference followed the one in Los Angeles Tuesday (July 11) and preceded the New York City and London conferences, taking place today (July 13) and tomorrow (July 14), respectively.