10 Craziest Boxing Press Conferences

Unless you've been living under a rock, the chances are you'll be aware of a little boxing event that takes place on the 26 August that see one of the best boxers of all time - Floyd Mayweather - take on UFC Lightweight Champion, Conor McGregor. In preparation for this momentous occasion, the two superstars of combat sports embarked on a four-day press tour where they took the opportunity to engage in some heavy, profanity-laden verbal sparring.

While the tour didn't fail to entertain - bringing a few gasps from the more prudish among us - the face-to-face moments between Mayweather and McGregor were actually quite tame. Yes, the two recited venomous insults at each other without stopping to wipe the spit off their face, but neither man threw a punch, shoved or - aside from the Irishman giving Floyd a playful pat on the head - laid hands on each other at all.

The WWE style promos did their job to hype the fight, but the lack of anything physical between the two proved most disappointing.

It isn't always so sedate, though. Sometimes, the antagonism outside the ring is far more interesting, not to mention volatile, than what goes down once the gloves are on. So it was with the following boxing press events - all of which put Mayweather vs. McGregor to shame.

When Muhammad Ali was stripped of the heavyweight championship - after refusing to be drafted into the US army - Joe Frazier emerged to become the number one heavyweight in the world, after beating Jimmy Ellis for the WBA title vacated by Ali three years earlier. Eight months later, Ali's suspension was lifted and the 'Louisville Lip' began chasing a fight with Frazier to reclaim the championship he never lost. Finally, in 1971, the two clashed in what was dubbed 'The Fight of the Century' - which Frazier won to solidify his place as the true heavyweight champion of the world.

Four years later - following Frazier's loss to George Foreman - the two rivals were due to meet in a highly anticipated rematch. On the press tour for the fight, Ali and Frazier made appearances on a number of television shows where Ali took every opportunity to demean and belittle Frazier, leading to multiple heated exchanges.

Things came to a head on The Wide World of Sports show - presented by Howard Cosell - where Frazier, already upset at having to sit next to Ali, removed his headset and stood up in front of Ali - taking exception to Ali claiming that he was ignorant. Ali responded by standing up and grabbing Frazier in a headlock and pulling him to the ground. The two scuffled on the floor for a minute, before being pulled apart with Joe Frazier shouting, "I'll see you Monday night!" and Ali responding, "you be there!"