Floyd Mayweather Jr. out-thought and outlasted Conor McGregor en route to a win by technical knockout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, when the bout was stopped in the 10th round.
Mayweather recovered from a surprising early onslaught from McGregor to gradually take control of the fight and outclass the man whose lack of experience showed on his professional boxing debut.
In typical fashion, Mayweather set a pace he dominated, forcing McGregor into a test of endurance, with the UFC star slowing considerably as the rounds mounted up.
It was a different story at the start, though, when McGregor landed the most telling shots during the opening exchanges.
Included in the best of his early punches was this crisp and clean uppercut captured by SportsCenter:
McGregor put together some heavy body shots while also keeping Mayweather at bay with a long right jab. As for Mayweather, he was content to keep moving early on, steering clear of the Irishman’s feared left.
A similar pattern continued in the second round, as McGregor picked more shots, while Mayweather tried to stay away. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting summed up the contrast between both fighters:
Two more narrowly contested rounds went by, but Money began to open things up in the fifth. A telling right backed McGregor up, and the Irishman felt the sting of a few body shots before hanging on as the bell sounded.
Correctly sensing the UFC lightweight champion was beginning to sag, Mayweather accelerated the pace in the sixth. He simply wore the 29-year-old McGregor down by focusing on the body.
The seventh round saw the pattern of victory emerge clearly, as Mayweather’s hand speed, timing and accuracy systematically worked over a clearly tiring McGregor.
Money owned the round, which was highlighted by this jarring shot, shared by Sky Sports Boxing:
McGregor appeared to be running on the last reserves of his energy, slowly trying to avoid punches while failing to muster any meaningful impact behind his own.
It was hardly surprising the Irishman struggled so much with the stamina demanded by boxing. His UFC experience has only seen him fight the maximum of five five-minute rounds instead of 12 rounds consisting of three minutes.
To his credit, McGregor found something extra to force the issue more during the eighth, even though his punches lacked snap. It seemed as though Mayweather was content to bide his time and let his spent opponent punch himself out.
So it proved, as Mayweather moved decisively in the ninth, teeing off with several strong rights to the upper body and face. McGregor’s defenses were crumbling as fatigue seemed to have taken over.
This image of the Irishman simply hanging on brilliantly depicted the state of the fight at this stage:
There was more of the same in the 10th, as Mayweather knew victory was imminent. He showed his know-how to cut off the ring and trap novice McGregor against the ropes before unloading with a barrage of punches.
McGregor could barely raise his hands in response, prompting referee Robert Byrd to wisely call for a stoppage with the Irishman taking too much punishment:
The fight lasted longer than many expected it would, but there was still no doubt who had been the better man. Mayweather’s dominance was summed up by these scorecard figures relayed by Brian Campbell of CBS Sports:
Such dominance was to be expected from the more seasoned and skilled boxer.
By contrast, McGregor earned the respect of many former pros as a game debutant between the ropes, including former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis:
Lewis had previously declared the fight a “farce” in an interview with the BBC’s Sportsweek but was clearly won over by McGregor’s spirited efforts.
As for Mayweather, he enjoyed the distinction of surpassing Rocky Marciano by moving to 50-0 for his career. The 40-year-old always seemed in control with enough in reserve to open up on McGregor whenever he needed to.
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