Mayweather says Tom Brady texted him day before fight

The sports world will tonight have its eyes glued to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — professional athletes included.

You can expect Tom Brady to tune in. According to Mayweather, Brady texted the veteran boxer Friday.

“He’s a great guy,” Mayweather told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. “He actually texted me yesterday…We have a cool friendship. He texted and asked me, ‘How’s everything going?’ And I texted him back, ‘Everything is cool. How are you doing? How’s the family?’ He said, ‘Everything is going A-OK.'”

Mayweather reiterated something he’s said before: that he and Brady are close friends.

“That’s a close friend of mine,” Mayweather said. “Tom Brady’s a very, very close friend. An unbelievable guy with unbelievable talent.”

In the same interview, Mayweather said he elected to fight with 8-ounce gloves (which are closer to the UFC standard of 4-ounce gloves) to give fans more excitement and make McGregor more comfortable.

Traditionally, fights at the 154-pound weight class require 10-ounce gloves, but the Nevada Athletic Commission made a one-time exception to its rule after the fighters submitted a formal request.