If ever further proof was needed that sport is part of the entertainment industry, it came last week when reports emerged that Floyd Mayweather, the former boxing world champion could fight Conor McGregor, the UFC superstar. Mayweather is arguably the greatest boxer ever to have stepped inside a ring and McGregor is the UFC featherweight champion and biggest name in MMA at the moment. When the reports initially surfaced of a matchup, they were quickly scoffed at but real interest was ignited when McGregor tweeted a mocked-up poster of him staring down Mayweather with the caption: ‘MMA vs Boxing’.

After beating Andre Berto in Las Vegas last September, Mayweather retired with a 49-0 win-loss record but speculation has been rife ever since that he will return to the ring in an attempt to reach 50 wins. Meanwhile, McGregor, who has gone from anonymity to superstardom in the past few years has had a turbulent 2016; the Irishman suffered his first UFC defeat in February when he lost to Nate Diaz. The rematch was scheduled for July but last month, McGregor announced on Twitter that he had “retired young”. A day later, the UFC announced that McGregor had been withdrawn from the July fight night after failing to fulfill his media obligations. McGregor then retracted his retirement announcement.

So how likely is it that Mayweather and McGregor will fight? On the face of it, it seems unlikely. The first hurdle is would they box or would they do MMA? Mayweather may have been the best boxer on the planet when he hung up his gloves but he is no MMA fighter. To fight against another boxer is one thing, to fight against someone who is also employing Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and Muay Thai, amongst other skills is another thing entirely. The American would have no chance. So would they box? McGregor began his sporting career as a boxer and was even All-Ireland champion at youth level. But while still a teenager, he turned his attention to MMA and has done little competitive boxing since. Earlier this week though, the respected boxing trainer, Freddie Roach, confessed that McGregor’s team had contacted him about doing some sessions with the MMA star.

Despite the revelations that McGregor may be doing some boxing-specific training, the bare logistical facts suggest that a Mayweather-McGregor match-up is far-fetched. But there are a few things that make it more likely than it initially appears. The first and most significant factor is money. Both Mayweather and McGregor are obsessed with money. Mayweather, whose nickname is “Money”, is almost certainly the most ostentatious individual on the planet. From the $3.5 million Bugatti he bought in the aftermath of his retirement to the $1.1 million diamond encrusted watch he flaunts, Mayweather is obsessed with cold, hard cash. Similarly, McGregor appears unable to open his mouth nowadays without mentioning how much money he earns, how much money he earns his for opponents, how much money he earns for the UFC. Mayweather has said that he will not consider stepping into the ring again for less than $100 million dollars but this is not a stumbling point in a fight against McGregor; reports in the Sun had Mayweather earning $144 million if he were to fight the Irishman while his opponent would earn just $10 million.

The most significant factor that makes me think that this fight could happen is the size of the egos involved. Mayweather has a confidence that is born out of having 49 professional fights and barely being hit. Almost all boxing outlets have named Mayweather as the best pound-for-pound fighter of his era at one stage or another. And McGregor is equally arrogant. Despite his lack of boxing experience, it is not outwith the realms of possibility that he believes that he could outbox Mayweather.

As this week has progressed, the initial scepticism has dissipated somewhat and more and more people are feeling increasingly sure that this fight could come to fruition. What is strange to me though, is who cares? A Mayweather-McGregor fight reminds me of kids asking who would win in a fight between a giraffe and a rhino? (Admittedly, that’s a hard question). If they box, Mayweather wins, if they fight MMA, McGregor wins, it’s as simple as that.

Yet there is still this intrigue by so many athletes to see if they can cross over. Just last week, Amir Khan talked of transitioning to MMA at some point later in his career, and pinpointed a fight against the aforementioned McGregor as his target. The Brit currently uses MMA training as part of his boxing regime and believes that he could successfully cross over.

There’s something strange about these athletes who are not content with being the best in their sport; they need to prove that they’re they best in someone else’s too. The Mayweather-McGregor fight may still be a long way off but with two guys believing that they are the best fighter on the planet, don’t bet against them wanting to prove it.