Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor press conference, watch live: New York City hosts third face off of the week

Mayweather and McGregor faced off at the Barclays Center in New York, in a bad-tempered press conference which almost came to blows when the two entourages squared off

The pair almost came to blows at the end of the press conference (Getty)

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will go face to face for the third time this week on Thursday night, as their whistle-stop media tour arrives in New York City.

The NYC presser will be held at the Barclays Centre and is due to get underway at 11.30pm BST. We’ll be bringing you live coverage of the event from around 10pm.

Unsurprisingly, the press tour has been thrilling, controversial and surreal in equal measure.

Mayweather was widely judged to have got the better of McGregor at the first press conference in LA, but the Irishman more than got his own back in Toronto a night later, when he ridiculed the size of his adversary’s head and the fact he cannot read, before turning his fire on Showtime.

You can read the full transcript from the first press conference in Los Angeles HERE, and you can read the second transcript from Toronto HERE.

This is the penultimate event of the four-date press tour, with the final news conference due to be staged in London on Friday night.

Follow live updates from the NYC press conference below…

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[13 July 2017 21:16 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

The Barclays Center is already beginning to fill up...

[13 July 2017 21:29 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

In July 2015, Conor McGregor mischievously told Conan O'Brien he was willing to fight Mayweather. Almost two years later, a date was set for the most lucrative - and unlikely - fight in boxing history

How did we get here? Here's the inside story...

[13 July 2017 21:35 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

We're getting closer...

[13 July 2017 21:50 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Conor McGregor's UFC coach John Kavanagh was in attendance at a UFC press conference in Glasgow earlier, and warned Floyd Mayweather the Irishman's boxing skills are improving all the time.

"He will be very well-prepared," Kavanagh said earlier today.

"We have gone through one training cycle and we had in some good sparing partners, and, as we expected, his skills transcended over.

"He is not trying to win Wimbledon. It's not that different.

"His understanding of range, his understanding of how to move around is excellent. It's not completely different.

"There are some differences in this fight; he doesn't have to worry about someone shooting (kicking) on him. It's been a great experience. The first half has gone very well and I am heading out to Vegas for the second half on Monday, and I am expecting him to peak at the right time."

[13 July 2017 22:12 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

The pre-show is due to begin shortly...

[13 July 2017 22:30 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

What did we learn from last night's conference? Principally, that McGregor is no fan of Showtime...

In Toronto, McGregor confirmed what many fans had suspected after his appearance at the Los Angeles press conference: he hadn’t been properly briefed ahead of the presser and didn't know that he was meant to be giving a speech, or what the schedule for the night was.

That changed in Toronto. McGregor appeared utterly at ease, and wasted no time in turning his fire on Showtime.

“This time they’ve given me a mic that works!” he said to huge cheers upon taking the stage, before hurling another microphone into the wings.

He then stalked up to the Showtime Chief Exec, Stephen Espinoza, and accused him of being both a “b***” and a “weasel”. Subtle it ain't, but McGregor may have just clawed back some power from Showtime ahead of August 26.

Here are four more talking points...

[13 July 2017 22:35 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Just about everybody in boxing has lined up to slate this fight - but it does have at least one fan.

[13 July 2017 23:11 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Some more from Dana...

[13 July 2017 23:18 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Before we get underway in New York City this evening, you have just about enough time to read this ahead of the final press conference tomorrow, which will be held in good old London town.

[13 July 2017 23:20 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Any thoughts on the press tour so far? Excited for this fight yet, or still relatively nonplussed? And can anybody actually see McGregor beating Mayweather come August 26?

Let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Either email me at luke.brown@independent.co.uk, or tweet me @lukedbrown.