Floyd Mayweather Says Paulie Malignaggi Spied on Conor McGregor for Him

Floyd Mayweather Jr. added another layer to his feud with Conor McGregor on Thursday, saying that he and former McGregor sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi conspired so Malignaggi could spy on McGregor.

In an interview with FightHype.com (h/t TMZ Sports), Mayweather said Malignaggi has been on his side the entire time: "Paulie has always been my friend. ... My friend called me and said, 'Floyd, do you want me to go to [Conor's] camp?' I said, 'Abso-f--kin'-lutely.' ... Paulie, thank you for going over there like I asked you to do."

Malignaggi was alongside Mayweather during the interview and kept saying, "suckas," seemingly in reference to McGregor and his camp (Warning: Some language NSFW):

Mayweather also said he and Malignaggi were going to have a powwow about what Malignaggi saw during his time in the McGregor camp: "Me and Paulie gonna stay at the house and talk about strategy, we gonna talk about everything."

Malignaggi announced on Aug. 4 that he was stepping down as McGregor's sparring partner on the heels of some controversy, per ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto:

"I wanted to be part of this event, but I didn't want to become the story, and that's what this has turned into. I won't release any information about his game plan or what he's working on; I wouldn't do that. But this has become a fiasco. It's a circus. And I do want that sparring video released. The UFC's PI definitely has that video. I understand it can't come out now, but Conor, if you have any balls, release what really happened."

Malignaggi was unhappy McGregor's photographer released photos that made him look bad. Malignaggi said he was pushed down at one point during a sparring session, and it was portrayed as if he had been knocked down.

Instead, Malignaggi said he was the one who took the fight to McGregor.

The 36-year-old Malignaggi is a retired boxer turned commentator who posted a professional record of 36-8.

Mayweather is a perfect 49-0, and he will put that mark on the line Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he faces McGregor in what will be the Irishman's first professional boxing match.