LOS ANGELES • Verbal sparring between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Ronda Rousey continued on Thursday as the unbeaten welterweight champ laughed off the mixed martial arts star's dig at his earning power.
"Big bank take little bank," Mayweather said in a statement posted on TMZ Sports.
"Let's play and see how much money you got.
"Last time I checked I was No. 1 on Forbes," added the 38-year-old, a reference to the financial publication's ranking of the world's top-paid sports figures.
Rousey, a former Olympic judoka, is the biggest star on the UFC circuit after a series of explosive wins. She had taunted Mayweather on Wednesday in comments to TMZ - saying she earns more per second than he does.
"When he learns to read and write, he can text me," Rousey told the gossip website.
Mayweather's US$300 million (S$420 million) in earnings over 12 months, as calculated by Forbes in June, includes his take from his May mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao that was the highest-grossing in boxing history.
He said Rousey was not in his league. "She will never be at my status," he told TMZ.
"Keep trying to get publicity."
However, Forbes weighed in on Thursday, saying that Rousey's calculations were correct.
After defeating Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano in a combined 30 seconds of fighting, she was, in fact, making more per second than Mayweather.
That was even before she beat Bethe Correia in 34 seconds in her most recent fight in Rio de Janeiro this month.
It was another dominant performance for the 12-0 Rousey in defence of her UFC female bantamweight title.
Mayweather is scheduled to defend his welterweight world title against Andre Berto on Sept 12 in Las Vegas, where he will try to match the 49-0 record of the legendary Rocky Marciano.
His choice of 40-1 underdog Berto for the bout, touted as his last, has come under criticism but Mayweather defended the selection.
"Berto (30-3 with 23 knockouts) can fight," he said of the former welterweight world champion, who battled a severe shoulder injury two years ago but returned to knock out Josesito Lopez in March.
"He's hungry.
"He comes to wage a war. There is never a dull moment when he fights so I expect a hell of a fight out of him."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
