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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