The countdown is on, and we are starting to speed closer to the superfight between undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC champion Conor McGregor, scheduled for August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Showtime has been following both fighters for its All Access series, and the third installment will be broadcast Friday night on the network at 10 p.m. ET.
The second episode was both revealing and controversial. The controversy took place when McGregor flew in retired fighter and current boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi for a sparring session at the Irish fighter’s training camp in Las Vegas. After filming all the introductions, the McGregor camp ordered that all cameras turned off as the two men stepped in the ring.
While the series is about access to the two fighters, McGregor cut it off at the most interesting moment. McGregor said he got the best of Malignaggi in the sparring session and offered a still photograph that showed him with both hands behind his back at one point. However, viewers were not shown any pictures of punches landing from either fighter.
Malignaggi was not happy because McGregor said that he was able to handle Malignaggi, and the former boxer says that is not the case and he wants the video released.
Since the airing of the broadcast, Malignaggi has been a guest on various radio sports-talk shows in an attempt to get his side of the story out.
While McGregor spent most of the second episode training or talking about the upcoming fight, Mayweather was not in the gym at any point. He spent much of the episode talking about how rich he was or showing off the actual cash he has one of his assistants carry in a large satchel.
He also vacationed in Miami, went shopping with his children and talked about a future business opportunity as a strip club owner.
Mayweather has to get back in the ring at one point or another before the fight with McGregor, and with just over two weeks to go before the fight, it seems that this is the right time for him to start working to get in decent shape.
Clearly, Mayweather has little respect for a mixed-martial arts fighter who has not had a single professional boxing match to this point in his career.
The third episode should reveal how both fighters are preparing for their confrontation.
The Mayweather-McGregor bout will be available on Showtime pay-per-view at a cost of $89.95 ($99.95 for high definition).
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