As the anticipation builds for Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday, the Association of Ringside Physicians believes McGregor is putting himself in serious physical danger by even stepping into the ring with the undefeated boxing su…
As the anticipation builds for Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday, the Association of Ringside Physicians believes McGregor is putting himself in serious physical danger by even stepping into the ring with the undefeated boxing superstar.
Per Joe DePaolo of the New York Times, the president of the ARP, Larry Lovelace, was stunned to see the McGregor-Mayweather fight was even sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on,” Lovelace said. “The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody’s going to get really hurt in this upcoming fight.”
The ARP previously took issue with the NSAC even considering letting McGregor and Mayweather use eight-ounce gloves for the fight, a request initially proposed by Mayweather.
“Unless there is scientific evidence to support the view that such a change might improve the safety of this bout, we would strongly caution against allowing current regulation to be over-ruled,” the ARPwroteto the NSAC on Aug. 15. “To do so would also set a precedent for future bouts.
The commissionapprovedthe fight being contested with eight-ounce gloves at a meeting on Aug. 16.
Bob Bennett, executive director of the NSAC, told DePaolo that McGregor was approved to fight Mayweather because he’s “taller, longer, stronger [and] more powerful” than Mayweather and being a southpaw “makes it a little more difficult for a conventional fighter.”
DePaolo noted in 2015 the NSAC refused to sanction a light heavyweight bout between Andre Ward and Rohan Murdock because the caliber of opponents Murdock had faced to that point in his career was “vastly inferior” to Ward.
Saturday will be McGregor’s first-ever professional boxing match after 24careermixed martial arts fights.
Conor McGregor has gotten a vote of confidence from rival Nate Diaz leading into Saturday’s fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an appearance on the Against All Odds with Cousin Sal podcast (h/t TheMacLife.com) about Saturday’s epic showdown, Di…
Conor McGregor has gotten a vote of confidence from rival Nate Diaz leading into Saturday’s fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an appearance on the Against All Odds with Cousin Sal podcast (h/t TheMacLife.com) about Saturday’s epic showdown, Diaz said he thinks McGregor has what it takes to defeat Mayweather:
““I think he has a great chance. I’ve fought the top pros in the fight game, the best fighters in the world, and done better than a lot of them. … I fought Conor for 25 minutes. I believe he’s definitely going to have a chance.
“Fighting and beating the best boxer pound for pound in the world right now? That’s another story but a fight’s a fight and we’re going to have to watch and see what happens.”
Few fighters can attest to McGregor’s abilities like Diaz. They split two head-to-head meetings in UFC, with Diaz winning the first match via second-round submission at UFC 196 in March 2016.
McGregor was originally supposed to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC lightweight title, but a broken foot forced dos Anjos to withdraw. Diaz accepted the fight on short notice, though it was changed to a welterweight match at 170 pounds after McGregor originally prepared for a fight at 155 pounds.
McGregor won the rematch via majority decision at UFC 202 in August 2016.
Even though this is McGregor’s first professional boxing match, odds are certainly swinging toward him pulling off the upset. Mayweather has gone from a -2250 favorite (bet $100 to win $4.44)to -450, perOddsShark.
McGregor is one of the most dominant UFC fighters in the world. He owns a 21-3 career record in mixed martial arts, with 18 of his victories coming via knockout or TKO.
UFC President Dana White is defending Conor McGregor after Floyd Mayweather Jr. said the mixed martial arts star needed to use IV bags to stay hydrated in preparation for Saturday’s megafight.
Speaking to TMZ Sports about the allegations Mayweath…
UFC President Dana White is defending ConorMcGregor after Floyd Mayweather Jr. said the mixed martial arts star needed to use IV bags to stay hydrated in preparation for Saturday’s megafight.
Speaking to TMZ Sports about the allegations Mayweather levied against McGregor, White said there was “nothing true about Mayweather’s claims.”
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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The biggest spectacle in combat sports goes down on Saturday with the long-awaited clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was a long and drawn out process to arrive at this moment. McGregor first tried to t…
The biggest spectacle in combat sports goes down on Saturday with the long-awaited clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was a long and drawn out process to arrive at this moment. McGregor first tried to talk Mayweather into a fight in an April 2015 interview with Chris Jones of Esquire, saying it would take him “less than 30 seconds” to win an MMA fight between the two.
More than two years later, Mayweather is making his return to the boxing ring for the chance to silence the biggest star in MMA.
Mayweather vs. McGregor Viewing Info
Date: Saturday, Aug. 26
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET (Main Card)
Watch: Pay-Per-View ($99.95)
Mayweather vs. McGregor PPV Card
Light Middleweight (154 lbs.): Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor
Super Featherweight (130 lbs.): Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca
Light Heavyweight (175 lbs.): Badou Jack vs. Nathan Cleverly
Cruiserweight (200 lbs.): Andrew Tabiti vs. Steve Cunningham
What to Expect
The odds for Mayweather vs. McGregor have shifted dramatically in the weeks since the fight was first announced.
Mayweather is still the favorite and is getting -400 (bet $400 to win $100) odds from OddsShark, compared to +300 for McGregor. The gambling site also noted things started out skewed heavily for Mayweather before fans started putting money on the UFC superstar:
“Odds for the fight were set long before it became official, with Mayweather opening as a gigantic favorite at -2250 and McGregor at +950. Since the opening betting odds were released, an avalanche of public money has come in on McGregor, causing a dramatic shift in the odds. The day after the fight became official, Mayweather’s odds shrunk all the way down to -600, while McGregor’s value has been chopped down to +400.”
McGregor has proved himself to be the biggest drawing card in MMA, with Forbesnoting he was in the main event for two of UFC’s three best-selling pay-per-view events ever at UFC 196 and UFC 202.
Despite McGregor’s popularity, there’s been little in the build up to the fight that suggests he can win a boxing match against Mayweather.
Former boxer Paulie Malignaggi, who was sparring with McGregor, went on a Twitter rant demanding UFC and McGregor release all the footage from their sessions:
That came after Malignaggi criticized McGregor’s camp for posting images appearing to show the Irishman knocking down Malignaggi while sparring, which he said was actually the result of being pushed down.
He isn’t the only sparring partner McGregor has had who criticized the UFC superstar for his boxing skills.
Chris van Heerden told TMZ Sports he was landing punches “at will” against McGregor when the two worked together in May 2016.
However, the UFC star has had 15 months to work on his boxing skills since that time, but he’s stepping into the ring against one of the best boxers in history who has never lost as a professional.
Mayweather is sitting back and letting McGregor’s side do most of the heavy lifting to build the fight. The most noteworthy thing from Money thus far was him telling ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith he’s “lost a step” at the age of 40.
“And I’ve been off a couple of years,” Mayweather said to Smith. “And I’m in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor.”
That will change in these final 48 hours before they walk to the ring because Mayweather knows how this business works and wants every possible eye ball watching this to help line his pockets.
McGregor is the attraction in this fight. He’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain because this is his first professional boxing match, and it comes against the biggest star in the sport over the last decade.
It will be a massive upset—despite what the odds suggest—if McGregor wins. He’s entering uncharted territory and won’t be able to use the skills that make him such an effective MMA athlete if he gets in trouble against Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. had some choice words for Justin Bieber after the singer said he thought Conor McGregor would be able to avoid being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their boxing match on Aug. 26.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, the elder Mayw…
Floyd Mayweather Sr. had some choice words for Justin Bieber after the singer said he thought Conor McGregor would be able to avoid being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their boxing match on Aug. 26.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, the elder Mayweather said Bieber “don’t even know boxing” and “he don’t know Floyd like I know him.”
Bieber toldTMZ Sportson Tuesday “I don’t think so” when asked if he believes Mayweather will be able to knock out McGregor, though he also added he expects it to be a good fight.
Mayweather and Bieber have been on good terms for some time, with Bieber being in Money’s corner multiple times, including for the 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao.
Even though McGregor is making his professional boxing debut in this fight, a knockout win by Mayweather would be a surprise. The 40-year-old has won just 26 of his 49 career fights via knockout or TKO, with only one of those coming in nine fights since 2010.
This will be Mayweather’s first boxing match since Sept. 2015, when he defeated Andre Berto by unanimous decision.
The Aug. 26 showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is on track to do record-breaking business.
UFC president Dana White addressed the expected financial implications of the Mayweather-McGregor spectacle during a Wednesday conference c…
The Aug. 26 showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is on track to do record-breaking business.
UFC president Dana White addressed the expected financial implications of the Mayweather-McGregor spectacle during a Wednesday conference call.
“This is the biggest event that has ever happened in combat sports,” White said. “This fight will reach over a billion homes worldwide.”
Rovell noted White said the fight currently has an over/under of 4.9 million total buys on pay-per-view.
“Everything is tracking right now like we’re going to kill this thing,” said White.
There has been some hand-wringing about the number of tickets sold for the fight.Lance Pugmireof theLos Angeles Timesreported Aug. 7 there were still 3,000 seats available at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbetold reportersAug. 10 that Mayweather vs. McGregor has already generated “over $60 million in the box office.”
Mark Shapiro, co-president of the WME/IMG agency that owns UFC, said Wednesday it would be “impossible for us to not break the record” of a $72.2 million gate set by the 2015 match between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, perDarren Rovellof ESPN.com.
McGregor is thebiggest box-office drawin the UFC. Mayweather vs. Pacquiaosold4.4 million buys on pay-per-view in addition to its record-setting gate.
The combination of McGregor and Mayweather looks to be big enough that the fight will establish all sorts of new box-office records.
The biggest spectacle in combat sports goes down on Saturday with the long-awaited clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada.