Author: Timothy Rapp

Mike Tyson Says Conor McGregor Will ‘Get Killed’ in Floyd Mayweather Fight

Mike Tyson does not believe Conor McGregor stands a chance against Floyd Mayweather.
The former boxer revealed in an interview with podcast Pardon My Take that he believes McGregor made a serious mistake agreeing to boxing rules for the fight (h/t…

Mike Tyson does not believe Conor McGregor stands a chance against Floyd Mayweather.

The former boxer revealed in an interview with podcast Pardon My Take that he believes McGregor made a serious mistake agreeing to boxing rules for the fight (h/t Chris Chavez of SI.com):

“McGregor is going to get killed boxing. I got mad because I thought they were going to use MMA rules against boxing because that’s what it’s all about: Can the boxer beat the MMA guy? McConor [sic] put his dumba*** in a position where he’s gonna get knocked out because this guy’s been doing this all his life since he was a baby. McConor [sic] can’t kick and grab and stuff so he won’t stand much of a chance.”

“McGregor took the biggest sucker rules in the history of boxing.”

Tyson also said he would have allowed MMA rules if he had ever fought McGregor.

Frankly, Tyson has a point here. McGregor is at a pronounced disadvantage against Mayweather by fighting him using boxing rules. While Mayweather has boxed his entire life and has never lost in his professional career, going 49-0, McGregor has fought using completely different rules in the UFC.

Put another way: There are very few, if any, professional boxers near Mayweather’s weight division who would be favored against him.

Now, this isn’t to say that McGregor can’t pull off the upset. He has the combination of power and speed to give any fighter issues. Seven of his nine wins in the UFC have come by either TKO or KO by punches. There’s no question that McGregor can take a beating and keep pressing forward. 

If McGregor can get into Mayweather’s guard and consistently pressure him and wear him down, he can use his superior power to potentially win the fight. But that’s been the game plan for many boxers before him, none of whom succeeded against Mayweather’s speed, precision and boxing IQ. 

And Tyson, at least, doesn’t believe an MMA-fighter-turned-boxer will be the first to pull off the feat.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Draymond Green Tells Conor McGregor to Take off Warriors Jersey on Instagram

Draymond Green is not a Conor McGregor fan.
The Golden State Warriors forward responded to a photo of McGregor in a Warriors jersey by writing on Instagram, “We rocking with Floyd bro not you…take that off bruh.”

McGregor responded to Gree…

Draymond Green is not a Conor McGregor fan.

The Golden State Warriors forward responded to a photo of McGregor in a Warriors jersey by writing on Instagram, “We rocking with Floyd bro not you…take that off bruh.”

McGregor responded to Green in the comments, saying of the No. 23 jersey: “That’s C.J Watson mate. I don’t know who the f–k you are. No disrespect tho kid, keep hustling and stay in school.”

He added: “Now ask yourself why I’m rocking C.J. when I don’t know or give a f–k about basketball. I dribble heads off the floor. Not a ball. This is no game here kid.”

So why wear a Watson jersey? From USA Today‘s Martin Rogers:

“Back in January, back when the fight still seemed improbable, McGregor took aim at his opponent’s ugly domestic violence record. Mayweather spent time in prison for battering Josie Harris, mother to three of his children, in September 2010.

Having split with Harris, she says he entered her home in the middle of the night and was infuriated to find messages from NBA player C.J. Watson on her phone. Mayweather’s son, Koraun, then 10, told the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that he had seen his father on top of Harris—hitting and kicking her.”

McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are set to face off Aug. 26 in one of the more intriguing fights in recent memory. That’s due to McGregor’s background as an MMA fighter, not a boxer, and Mayweather’s perfect 49-0 record on the line.

The buildup to the fight has been controversial, however, with many decrying the amount of racial insensitivity on display.

As Khaled A. Beydoun of The Undefeated wrote:

“Boxing’s checkered history of capitalizing on racial and ethnic rivalries to sell bouts has taken a turn for the worse with this unprecedented megafight, with racist taunts and bigoted trash talk showcased, loudly and vividly, throughout the four-city press tour that concluded in London on July 14.”

Among other comments, McGregor told Mayweather to “dance for me, boy” during the press tour. Mayweather has hardly been an angel, however, using misogynistic and homophobic language during the lead-up to the fight.

It’s unclear if McGregor’s behavior during the press tour is the reason Green is pulling for Mayweather or if he is simply a fan of the undefeated boxer. But if two of the loudest men in sports, Green and McGregor, are about to exchange a war of words online, things could heat up quickly.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Luke Rockhold vs. David Branch Fight Announced for UFC Fight Night in September

The UFC announced Saturday that Luke Rockhold would take on David Branch at the UFC Fight Night in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 16.
As Brett Okamoto of ESPN noted, that’s the same night as Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, one of the most anticipat…

The UFC announced Saturday that Luke Rockhold would take on David Branch at the UFC Fight Night in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 16.

As Brett Okamoto of ESPN noted, that’s the same night as Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, one of the most anticipated boxing matches of the year.

         

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Betting Reportedly May Surpass Super Bowl

Kevin Bradley, Bovada’s sports book manager, told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that betting on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight will likely surpass the Super Bowl:
“We knew this fight would be big, potentially even bigger than the Super Bowl…

Kevin Bradley, Bovada’s sports book manager, told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that betting on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight will likely surpass the Super Bowl:

“We knew this fight would be big, potentially even bigger than the Super Bowl, but now we are almost certain it will be. The recent trash talking and promotional tour is only encouraging bets and at this rate we cannot even imagine how much we will take on it. One thing is for sure though, we will need Mayweather huge. A McGregor early round KO as he promised would be a potential disaster and is partly a reason we are giving a great price on Mayweather at the moment.”

Iole broke down some of the odds being offered for the fight:

“Bovada released a slew of wagering possibilities, but the odds on McGregor have dropped significantly. Mayweather is down to minus-500, while McGregor is now at plus-350.

“Amazingly, on the proposition bet, Will Mayweather be knocked down or out, yes is only at plus-350. Mayweather is 49-0 and has only been down once in his career, and that came when he intentionally touched the canvas with his glove in the final round of a fight he was winning big because his hand was injured and he wanted a brief break.”

Mayweather is justifiably the heavy favorite in this fight, given his unblemished record and the fact that McGregor’s background is in mixed martial arts, not boxing. In an MMA fight, McGregor would be the prohibitive favorite. 

There are reasons to believe Mayweather could at least be somewhat vulnerable, however. He’s 40 and 11 years older than McGregor. He hasn’t fought since Sept. 2015, when he beat Andre Berto in a unanimous decision. And given that McGregor has never boxed professionally, Mayweather won’t have film to study on his boxing or a clear understanding of McGregor’s game plan.

It isn’t necessarily hard to envision how McGregor will attack Mayweather, of course—like many boxers before him, he’ll likely try to crowd Mayweather as much as possible to neutralize his elite speed and reaction time and overwhelm him with superior power. 

Given Mayweather’s perfect record, however, it’s not as though that strategy has ever completely worked. And while McGregor features a formidable combination of speed and power himself, is the first-time boxer likely to be a more difficult opponent than experienced boxers like Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton or Oscar De La Hoya, previous victims of Mayweather’s brilliance?

No, not likely.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Floyd Mayweather Speaks on Conor McGregor Calling Him ‘Boy,’ Racism Accusations

Floyd Mayweather Jr. responded to the controversy surrounding Conor McGregor calling him “boy” twice during separate media appearances.
“We all know there’s only 2 types of boys—a white boy and a cowboy—and I’m neither,” Mayweather told TMZ…

Floyd Mayweather Jr. responded to the controversy surrounding Conor McGregor calling him “boy” twice during separate media appearances.

“We all know there’s only 2 types of boys—a white boy and a cowboy—and I’m neither,” Mayweather told TMZ Sports.

“Racism still exists but you know, I try to take something negative and turn it into something positive,” he added. “A lot of people say that Conor McGregor is racist but I’m not worried about that.”

At separate press conferences hyping up the fight between Mayweather and McGregor on Aug. 26, McGregor told Mayweather to “Dance for me, boy.” That quickly elicited questions on social media, including this tweet from Chris Broussard of FS1: 

Ryan McKinnell of Yahoo Sports also reacted to McGregor’s choice of words: 

“It is what it is. He’s entitled to feel how he wants to feel,” Mayweather said in his response to McGregor’s comments. “I just want to stay in my zone and stay focused.”

McGregor has been accused of insensitive comments in the past. In March 2015, he took a questionable shot at fighter Jose Aldo.

“What I really want to do is turn his favela into a Reebok sweatshop,” McGregor said, per Dave Doyle of Yahoo Sports. “They work well over there.”

And in 2016 he called Nate Diaz a “cholo gangster from the hood,” according to Des Bieler of the Washington Post.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Sponsor Asking Price Reportedly $10m

WME-IMG, owners of the UFC, have put a $10 million price tag on the rights to be the title sponsor of the Aug. 26 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
Per Rovell, “The $10 million would nearly doubl…

WME-IMG, owners of the UFC, have put a $10 million price tag on the rights to be the title sponsor of the Aug. 26 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.

Per Rovell, “The $10 million would nearly double boxing’s largest single-fight sponsorship, the $5.6 million that Tecate paid for Mayweather-Pacquiao in May 2015.” 

Rovell continued, “The sponsoring company would get its logo at the center of the ring at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, its branding on ring girls, on two of the ropes and in the two nonfighter corners of the ring. The deal also includes sponsorship of the first minute of every round on the broadcast and $500,000 in tickets.”

Sponsorship opportunities are also being offered in each corner of the ring, on both Mayweather and McGregor’s sides. If the fight ultimately sells those sponsorships at those price points, Rovell reported it would be the largest sponsorship package ever sold at a fight.

Certainly, it’s hard to imagine a fight with more intrigue than Mayweather vs. McGregor. Mayweather is returning from retirement and seeking the 50th win of his career. He has never lost a boxing match. McGregor, meanwhile, is transitioning from the UFC Octagon—where he has won championships in the lightweight and featherweight division—to the boxing ring for the fight.

Plus, both Mayweather and McGregor are the biggest personalities in their respective sports. The storylines for the fight, then, are both clear and easily marketable. Will Mayweather be in top form after retiring? Can McGregor put up any sort of a challenge fighting a totally different style? If the fight is compelling and closely contested, will future UFC-boxing crossover fights offer similar appeal?

Add it all up, and it isn’t surprising the asking price for sponsors is so high. One storyline that has never been subtle in regards to this fight: It’s all about the money. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com