Floyd Mayweather is reportedly in discussions to face Jake Paul in the ring after the YouTuber-turned-fighter allegedly messaged the boxing icon's on-off stripper girlfriend and told her she needed a "real man".
Anna Monroe apparently dumped the unbeaten pugilist this summer after he was pictured in New York embracing another ex in Gallienne Nabila, though he and Monroe are said to be back together according to a source that spoke to The Sun.
The same source said that the former five-weight champion was "fuming" when he read a private message that Paul sent to Anna.
In it, he is meant to have told the stunning blonde she needed a "real man" while claiming that 'Money' was scared of him after an exhibition bout against his brother Logan in June at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
In that pay-per-view meeting, Mayweather was unable to floor Logan while Jake improved his professional record to 4-0 recently with a split decision win against ex-UFC welterweight ruler Tyron Woodley in a licensed scrap.
With Jake Paul causing a fracas in the buildup to the first Mayweather-Paul encounter by stealing his hat, there was already bad blood between the two with a source saying to The Sun that "Floyd has been telling pals he’s had enough of Jake Paul" and wants to settle their differences in the squared circle.
"He thinks he’s destroying the sport of boxing by being disrespectful about great boxers and saying he wants to be world champion," it was added.
"Then when he saw Jake had private messaged Anna - that was the final straw. He believes Jake did it to get under his skin and to disrespect him," the source continued.
"The message was about how Anna needs a real man not a cheat - referring to the pictures of Floyd and his ex. And he apparently told her that Floyd was scared of him after fighting his brother Paul and how he would destroy him.
"Jake was clearly doing it to get in Floyd’s head but Floyd isn’t letting it go. Floyd wants to get the fight sorted now, he’s in training and in talks over contracts. He knows the only way to shut Jake up is in the ring," the source concluded.
For Paul, though, any meeting with the 44-year-old would have to be professional.
"I don’t do exhibitions, I told Floyd, I actually messaged him and I said ‘Yo, if you want to do a real pro fight at a weight class, then let’s do it," the 24-year-old jokester explained to talkSPORT last week.
"But I think he’s going to retire and that’s probably what’s best for him because my brother is a great fighter, but I’m just built different.
"I would have taken Floyd out and that wouldn’t be good for him," Paul bragged.
While Paul has only fought in sanctioned fights since his first professional outing in early 2020, Mayweather has not competed in that capacity since he defeated UFC motormouth Conor McGregor by TKO in Las Vegas 2017.
But he has stayed busy in exhibition spectacles against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo, and the eldest Paul sibling, while also entertaining the prospect of doing battle with Jake when probed.