Author: Josh Martin

It’s official: the fight is on between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

The August 26 bout has been on the books since June, when the two camps signed on for Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But it wasn’t until Friday’s weigh-in that Mayweather and McGregor were deemed ready to step into the ring.

Both combatants came in under the 154-pound super welterweight limit. Mayweather Jr. tipped the scales at 149.5 pounds, just above his usual 147 pounds at welterweight, while McGregor came in at 153 pounds. 

“That’s the worst shape I’ve ever seen him in,” McGregor said afterwards, per USA Today Sports’ Martin Rogers. “I am a professional. I make weight. I am in peak physical condition, everyone can tell I am ready. I will be a lot bigger (than this), and a lot bigger than him. I see a man afraid.”

Mayweather, though, has seemed anything but fearful in the lead-up to this mega-fight. He’s even bragged about eating out at Burger King—hardly the kind of grub one might expect a finely tuned athlete to take in.

“Gotta keep that weight on,” Mayweather said previously on the UFC Embedded YouTube series, per For The Win’s Luke Kerr-Dineen.

(Video contains profanity.)

He won’t have to for much longer. Win or lose, Mayweather will be toasting his latest massive payday on Saturday night, perhaps with a third retirement on the horizon. The odds, though, point to Mayweather emerging from the ring a perfect 50-0.

Odds, per OddsShark: Mayweather -450, McGregor +325

Fight Time: Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on Showtime PPV, with Mayweather-McGregor scheduled to start at 11:55 p.m. ET.

Before Mayweather and McGregor touch gloves, boxing fans will be treated to a triple-header of title fights:

• Andrew Tabiti (14-0, 12 KOs) vs. Steve Cunningham (29-8-1, 13 KOs), cruiserweight
• Badou Jack (21-1-2, 12 KOs) vs. Nathan Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs), light heavyweight
• *Gervonta Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) vs. Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs), super featherweight

Davis can’t win the title after failing to make weight.

Mayweather-McGregor is without a championship at stake, though. When Mayweather retired in September 2015, he did so with a slew of welterweight crowns in his collection. Of the six main titles in that weight class, four are currently split between Keith Thurman (WBA Super and WBC), Lamont Peterson (WBA Regular), Errol Spence (IBF) and Jeff Horn (WBO), with two (The Ring and lineal) still vacant.

Neither should mind the lack of hardware at stake, though. Both fighters figure to take home nine-figure paydays, thanks in large part to what could be a record-breaking count of pay-per-view buys at $99.95 apiece.

Most signs (if not all) point to Mayweather emerging victorious. As much as McGregor‘s advantages in size, reach, youth (29 vs. the 40-year-old Floyd) and recency of his last fight of any kind (November 2016 vs. Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205), his sheer lack of experience in a boxing ring leaves him playing catch-up.

That would be the case against any professional boxer, let alone one of the best to ever lace them up. If McGregor can land some big blows early on, he could muster an outside shot at what would go down as one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Otherwise, he’ll have a tough time hanging with an elusive defensive maestro like Mayweather, who should win handily.

(Video contains profanity.)

For one day more, at least, these two looked like they were on equal footing on Friday. McGregor, draped in the Irish flag, was cheered on by a throng of his countrymen. That same audience showered Mayweather with boos, though he had the support of his father, Floyd Sr., and his usual brigade of bodyguards.

When the two met face to face one final time, McGregor railed off a flurry of inaudible trash talk while Mayweather stood silently, perhaps waiting for his chance to fight back on Saturday.

“Weight doesn’t win fights,” Mayweather said, per Rogers. “Fighting wins fights.”

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If you can’t wait until midnight ET for your fill of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, never fear: Coverage of Saturday’s boxing superfight, along with the triple-header undercard, begins well before then.

You can begin getting your fix of pre-fight fun on FOX and FOX Deportes at 6 p.m. ET with a one-hour special. The warm-up fights—all of which will have titles on the line—start at 7 p.m. ET, with the broadcast coverage of Mayweather-McGregor switching to Showtime PPV at 9 p.m. ET.

Should you still be jonesing for more after the bout, tune into FS1 and FOX Deportes for the postfight show.

 

Coverage Details

Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

When: Saturday, August 26 at 9 p.m. ET

Watch: Showtime PPV, UFC, Sling TV, PlayStation 4

Countdown Special Live Stream: FOX Sports Go (6 p.m. ET)

 

Fight Preview

McGregor has heard it all by now.

That he has no chance against Mayweather. That his inexperience will leave him exposed against one of the best boxers of all time. That he shouldn’t expect to land a clean punch, let alone knock out Mayweather or compete with him on the judges’ scorecards. That the outcome of this bout is a foregone conclusion.

“It’s certainly motivating,” McGregor told ESPN’s Dan Rafael.

On measurable alone, McGregor looks like a worthy opponent. He’s 11 years younger and an inch taller than Mayweather, with a two-inch advantage on his reach. At Friday’s weigh-in, he tipped the scales at 153 pounds—under the 154-pound super-welterweight limit and over Mayweather’s 149.5 pounds—and figures to carry more weight than that into the ring once he’s properly hydrated.

But as Mayweather noted, per USA Today’s Sports’ Martin Rogers, “Weight doesn’t win fights. Fighting wins fights.”

McGregor isn’t a slouch in that regard, either. He was as close to a boxer as you’d find in the UFC and suffered his only three losses in MMA by submission. He’s plenty capable of delivering powerful punches and—just as importantly—has the chin to take his fair share in return.

Still, McGregor won’t have the benefit of using his legs and feet to fight. Nor will all of the techniques to he’s accustomed to in the Octagon be legal in the ring.

Mayweather, meanwhile, knows the rules—and, in turn, how to exploit them—as well as anyone. Such is the benefit of being born into a boxing family.

He’s faced more than a few free-swingers like McGregor in his time, and those opponents had boxed professionally before. If Mayweather can bait seasoned fighters into miscues, what hope does McGregor have of avoiding the same fate as Floyd’s previous 49 foes?

Though there won’t be any belts hanging in the balance, Mayweather has ample motivation to come out on top—and not just the massive purse he’ll likely take home. A win would not only keep his record unblemished but also make him the first-ever undefeated champion with 50 wins.

That addition could go a long way toward bolstering his case as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. So, too, might his victory boost boxing over mixed martial arts in the fierce fight for pre-eminence among combat sports.

McGregor, on the other hand, has nothing to lose, which might be his most dangerous edge of all.

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There won’t be any official boxing titles up for grabs when Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor meet in the ring on Saturday. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty on the line between these two titans of combat sports, even leaving aside the hundreds of millions of dollars that hang in the balance.

For Mayweather (49-0), it’s an opportunity to further burnish an already-impressive legacy in his sport. One more win would move him just ahead of Rocky Marciano (49-0) in the all-time ranks of undefeated pugilists. In a larger narrative, this win would also mark Mayweather as the man who proved that boxing still holds more sway in the sports world than does mixed martial arts.

On the flip side, a McGregor victory would bolster the standing of the UFC, both directly and by proxy, while potentially catapulting the 29-year-old Dublin native into a new, more lucrative career in boxing. And if we’re talking about narratives, what better story is there than a neophyte from the Octagon taking down one of the greatest and most skilled athletes to ever step between the ropes?

But those are all more cosmetic concerns to be settled on the final Saturday in August. Here’s a look at what we know for sure about this mega-fight, with odds culled from OddsShark.

          

Mayweather vs. McGregor

What: Fight for an enormous payday…and bragging rights

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

When: Saturday, August 26

Time: 11:55 p.m. ET

National TV: Showtime PPV

Live Stream: Showtime PPV, UFC, Sling TV Rentals, PlayStation Store

Odds: Mayweather -450 (bet $450 to win $100), McGregor +325 (bet $100 to win $325)

                     

Undercard

Andrew Tabiti vs. Steve Cunningham, cruiserweight

Badou Jack vs. Nathan Cleverly, light heavyweight

Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca, junior lightweight

          

A Case For McGregor

It’s easy to discount McGregor for his utter lack of experience, but his history as a fighter suggests this might not be a cakewalk for Mayweather.

For one, McGregor comes from a sport wherein the hits can be harder and the strategy more taxing, both physically and mentally. He won’t have to worry about dodging a roundhouse kick from or grappling on the ground with Mayweather, as he would if he were in the Octagon with Nate Diaz. Instead, he can focus solely on what essentially amounts to stand-up striking, which was McGregor’s MMA forte anyway.

Keep in mind, too, that McGregor’s only losses in UFC came by submission.

“McGregor is a tough competitor. He’s undefeated standing up. He’s never lost when striking. I know that I’m in for a tough fight,” Mayweather said, per ESPN’s Dan Rafael.

Nor is McGregor entering the ring without a discernible chin. He’s used to taking punches from thinly gloved fists and bare feet rather than blows from cushioned boxing gloves. That the Nevada State Athletic Commission also unanimously approved to allow this junior middleweight bout to proceed with eight-ounce gloves—rather than the standard of 10 ounces for fights contested at or above 147 pounds—could play into McGregor’s favor, however slightly.

More than anything, it’s the element of mystery that could afford McGregor an edge. As much as Mayweather can study (and probably has studied) his latest foe’s style in the UFC, he won’t know what to expect until the bell rings on Saturday. If McGregor can dupe and confuse his seasoned opponent just long enough to land a crushing blow or two, he may well pull off the upset of the century.

           

Floyd is Favored For a Reason

All that said, it’s no accident that Mayweather is such a heavy favorite heading into the bout. An untested (and potentially undisciplined) combatant like McGregor is perfect fodder for a fighter as patient and methodical as Floyd.

Mayweather, who might be the best defensive boxer who ever lived, will be an exceedingly difficult target for McGregor to hit. The former’s quickness is critical, but it’s the poisons he presents to a southpaw like McGregor that will make this a particularly dangerous chess match. If McGregor wants to hit Mayweather flush, he may have to lunge around with his left hand, leaving his face and chest exposed to Floyd’s blows.

And Mayweather, as an expert in his field, will know full well how to bait a newbie into just such a trap.

Even if McGregor doesn’t fall for it, he figures to have a difficult time landing enough punches to make headway on the judges’ scorecards. Both fighters have talked a big game about knocking out the other, but Mayweather hasn’t notched a KO since his controversial combination against Victor Ortiz in 2011 and McGregor…well, again, he’s never boxed professionally.

Should this battle last all 12 rounds, Mayweather has the clear edge. And if it doesn’t, it’ll probably be because Money ended it early.

       

Prediction

As much of a sure thing as this bout may seem for Mayweather, he’s not heading in without at least a modicum of risk. Here’s how Rafael summed it up:

“Mayweather is 40. Mayweather hasn’t fought in two years. And Mayweather, of Las Vegas, is gambling his perfect record and a brilliant Hall of Fame legacy that could be ruined with one punch from a guy who looks like he barely knows how to throw a proper boxing punch.”

To that end, the divide between Mayweather and McGregor here speaks to the essence of Sin City itself. If McGregor is the braggadocious tourist playing the slots, laying bets on the roulette wheel and tossing dice at the craps table, Mayweather is the casino itself. The tourist, with a tinge of skill and a hefty helping of luck, has an outside shot at a jackpot.

But in the end, the house always wins.

And in this case, that house (i.e. Mayweather) looks like he’ll win by knockout in the eighth round.

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Nearly two years removed from his last boxing match and subsequent retirement, Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks like he’s in fine shape for Saturday’s megafight against Conor McGregor.

That is, unless you ask McGregor.

“That’s the worst shape I’ve ever seen him in,” McGregor said, per USA Today Sports’ Martin Rogers. “I am a professional. I make weight. I am in peak physical condition. Everyone can tell I am ready. I will be a lot bigger (than this), and a lot bigger than him. I see a man afraid.”

At 149.5 pounds, Mayweather did check in above his previous fighting weight of 147 pounds. But with a 154-pound limit for this super welterweight fight, he’s still well within the proper range. McGregor, by comparison, squeaked by at 153 pounds, and he figures to beef up much more than that once he’s rehydrated ahead of the fight.

Here’s a look at where Las Vegas, the host town for the bout, has the odds for the main event at T-Mobile Arena, courtesy of Oddsshark:

   

Mayweather vs. McGregor Odds

• Mayweather: 11-50
• McGregor: 13-4

  

Post-Weigh-In Preview

It would be easy to dismiss McGregor in this matchup, as many already have. After all, he’s never boxed professionally and has only recently begun training for the switch from mixed martial arts. He will be making his debut in the ring against Mayweather, who, if not one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters ever, has at least been steeped in the sport his whole life, having been born into a boxing family.

McGregor does have some things going for him. To start, he’s not exactly new to fist fighting. He started as a boxer in his native Ireland at age 12 and made his mark in the UFC as a standout stand-up striker.

From a physical standpoint, McGregor might have the upper hand. The 29-year-old is more than a decade younger than the 40-year-old Mayweather, with superior size and reach (74 inches to Floyd’s 72) to boot.

As McGregor boasted to ESPN’s Dan Rafael:

If people are overlooking my size, power and youth, they shouldn’t be. I’m very confident in those attributes. I believe I’ll knock him out early. If you look at the way I fight, I am a fast starter. I come out and bang people right away. With eight-ounce gloves, I don’t see him lasting more than one or two rounds. I am my own man and I feel I am superior to Floyd. When it comes to Saturday night, he will not be prepared for me.

It’s possible that Mayweather’s age and extended break from the sport will leave him a step slower than usual. But even if that’s the case, he’ll still be light-years ahead of in terms of skill and technique.

Mayweather is arguably the finest defensive fighter that boxing has ever seen. He’s an expert at avoiding flush contact from flailing fists like those McGregor figures to send flying in his direction.

And he might be even better at jumping on the mistakes of those who swing and miss. While Mayweather hasn’t knocked out an opponent since Victor Ortiz in 2011, he’s still more than capable of making McGregor pay for leaving himself open to counters.

Mayweather, though, may have to watch out for MMA-style moves from McGregor. The Dublin native isn’t used to being restricted to using just his hands, and only in specific ways. According to Mayweather, McGregor employed some illegal tactics during a recent sparring session with former junior welterweight and welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi. As he told World Boxing News: 

I had a chance to see it. And my thought is that I think it was really interesting, but with a lot of rabbit punching; a lot of illegal rabbit punching behind the head. A lot of grappling, a lot of wrestling, a lot of illegal shots. That’s just my honest opinion. I’m pretty sure the referee is going to be fair on both sides. I just want a good solid fight.

McGregor will have to fight clean, lest he jeopardize his life-changing payday.

“There is a significant penalty,” Showtime Sports chief Stephen Espinoza told ESPN. “The details will remain confidential, but there is a significant penalty in the event of what could be described as an extreme foul, an out-of-the-ordinary foul of what your normal boxing foul would be.”

Either way, McGregor will be up against it as he looks to represent MMA against boxing with Mayweather in the opposite corner.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is doing his best to become the Michael Jordan of boxing. His titles in five different weight classes and unblemished career record (49-0) might already mark him as the greatest of all time in the sport. Now, like Jordan, he’s coming out of retirement a second time to take on an entirely new challenge—namely, taking down a mouthy MMA star who’s a veritable amateur in the ring.

Conor McGregor, though, has at least 100 million reasons to look forward to Saturday night, when he and Mayweather will face off a T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. At that point, the wily 29-year-old Irishman will have to put his money where his mouth is against the 40-year-old king of the ring.

There will be three fights on the undercard before the main event. First, Andrew Tabiti (14-0, 12 KOs) and Steve Cunningham (29-8-1, 13 KOs) will face off in a 10-round cruiserweight bout. Then, Badou Jack (21-1-2, 12 KOs) and Nathan Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs) will duke it out for the vacant World Boxing Association light heavyweight belt. Finally, before Mayweather and McGregor walk out, Gervonta Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) will look to defend his lightweight title against Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs).

Fight Time: Coverage on Showtime begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, with Mayweather-McGregor starting approximately at 11:55 p.m. ET/8:55 p.m. PT.

       

Preview

On paper, this looks like a no-brainer.

McGregor, who went 21-3 in the Octagon, has never boxed professionally. Mayweather, who’s aiming to round out his record at a perfect 50-0, might be the best to ever put on gloves.

But don’t underestimate what McGregor brings to the table. For one, McGregor can run his mouth just as well as Mayweather can. It would appear that the former’s constant heckling of the latter, particularly on social media, might have played a part in drawing Mayweather back into the ring.

Between the ropes, McGregor has some physical advantages in this 154-pound fight. He’s an inch taller (at 5’9″) than Mayweather and has a reach that’s two inches longer (74″).

And while McGregor has never boxed properly as a pro, his native MMA style was never that far off. By and large, he was a stand-up striker in the UFC, fighting primarily out of a southpaw stance. Boxing was always his best skill in the Octagon, and most of his knockouts and technical knockouts came by way of punches.

That all jibes with McGregor‘s sporting roots, he started boxing back in Ireland when he was 12 and has referred to Muhammad Ali as one of his earliest inspirations.

Still, it’s difficult to envision how McGregor will make headway in this bout, outside of landing his signature pull-back left-handed counter. The newcomer is notoriously aggressive, but that approach could play right into his opponent’s hands. Mayweather might be the greatest defensive fighter who ever lived and will surely find ways to use McGregor‘s aggressiveness against him.

Not that anyone should expect a knockout on Mayweather’s account. He has 26 on his record but hasn’t taken down an opponent before the final bell since September 2011, when he KO’d Victor Ortiz. That came on a controversial combination that some saw as cheap shots.

It’s possible that McGregor, as a boxing neophyte, will be vulnerable to a similar slip-up and ensuing slugs from Mayweather. The better bet, though, is that this battle goes the distance, with Mayweather emerging as the unanimous victor on the scorecards.

Scorecard Prediction: Mayweather wins via unanimous decision, 116-112, 117-111, 118-110.  

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