Conor McGregor is fighting all of boxing when he steps into the squared circle against Floyd Mayweather Jr. this weekend (Sat. August 26, 2017).
That’s according to ex-UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy. Hardy recently spoke to MMA Junkie to discuss this weekend’s combat sports mega-fight between two of the largest personalities the sporting world has ever seen, and said that he believes the Irishman is going up against more than just the undefeated 49-0 “Money” (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“One thing that stuck out for me during the press tour is that Conor doesn’t necessarily feel like he’s against Floyd Mayweather in this fight,” Hardy said. “I think he feels like he’s against boxing, because all the criticism and disrespect that’s coming toward Conor in the buildup to this fight is coming from respected people in the boxing community and people who work for Showtime.”
The fact that McGregor called out, arguably, the greatest to have ever stepped inside the ring allows boxing fanatics to breath a sigh of relief, according to Hardy. Despite the fact that some boxing purists may not be Mayweather’s biggest fans, they’re happy that The Money Team frontman will be representing them in a fight that some are considering to be ‘Boxing vs. MMA’:
“I think there is some relief on the boxing side because Conor did decide to call out the biggest name in their sport,” Hardy said. “As much as the boxing community may hate Floyd Mayweather, and I’m sure hates him even more for putting boxing in this position, they’ll be relieved that he’s still the best boxer on the planet and their representative.
“If Conor happens to put him down, he’ll have done what 49 boxers have not been able to do, and that’s a massive hit to boxing in general – especially given the fact that Mayweather is the greatest defensive boxer we’ve ever seen.”
In the lead-up to their clash, Mayweather has been teasing the possibility of crossing over into the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) and testing himself inside the Octagon against McGregor. Hardy called Mayweather’s bluff and stated that if “Money” did attempt to throw down with the 155-pound champion of the world inside a cage the result would mimic that of Randy Couture vs. James Toney back in 2010:
“When Floyd’s on the stage saying they can fight in the octagon, with four-ounce gloves, he says it with that tough guy attitude – but everybody in the arena knows he’s full of (expletive),” Hardy said. “The general fans, even the boxing fans, whether they’re lying to themselves or not, are educated enough to know the reality without it playing out.
“We don’t need to see Floyd step into the octagon and get James Toney-ed, to know that’s exactly what would happen. It’s a foregone conclusion and not even up for question. The only reason people would tune into that is for the satisfaction of seeing Floyd getting his little head squeezed off.”
“There is a question of what would happen if we take an MMA fighter and put him in with one of the best boxers of all time,” Hardy said. “That’s the argument in and of itself, because millions of people will buy pay-per-views to see that question be asked and answered. That wouldn’t happen if Floyd Mayweather crossed over into MMA.”
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