Tag: Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor knows how to take advantage of an opportunity. Prior to putting his name on a contract to fight undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match, he was loud, egomaniacal, confident and charismatic.

Once he put his name on a contract to battle Mayweather at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, all of the above factors have gone up in multiples.

Many observers thought that a boxing match between a legendary champion and mixed martial artist would barely rate a blip on the sporting radar because it appeared to be a mismatch. But McGregor has convinced his supporters and the general public that such a perception is not necessarily the case.

McGregor has been promising to stop Mayweather inside of four rounds for weeks. Many fight fans are putting their money on McGregor as the interest in the pay-per-view fight has blossomed.

The biggest bets are on Mayweather, but Joe Fan has not been hesitant to go to the window and put his money on McGregor, per Justin Terranova of the New York Post.

“I’ve been lacing up the gloves my entire existence,” McGregor said, per Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press (h/t Boston Globe). “Of course, we will come with a different approach than people are used to, we will paint many pictures inside the ring. It’s not going to end well for Floyd. It’s not going to end well for all the people who are doubting me and are so convinced that this is what it is.”

Interest is reaching fever pitch for the Saturday night fight, and McGregor appeared to have some kind of high temperature as he was screaming in Mayweather’s face Friday evening at the weigh-in. McGregor’s behavior appeared to look like he couldn’t wait to get in the ring with Mayweather, but the reality of fighting his opponent will be far more challenging than drumming up interest in the fight.

Mayweather has been relatively calm compared to the bombastic McGregor, but he offered this assessment of the fight. “After 21 years I’ve been hit with everything and I’m still right here,” Mayweather said. “If you give it, you must be able to take it.”

Mayweather’s greatest skill throughout his career is in the defensive aspects of boxing. He has been in the ring with hard punchers such as Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao, and he rarely gets hit by power punches. He has almost never been hit by clean combinations that leave him in a vulnerable position.

He is getting in the ring with a boxing neophyte who is proposing to hammer Mayweather after a slew of talented and experienced fighters have barely been able to lay a glove on him.

Give McGregor credit for working as hard as possible to prepare for such an ordeal. He has been in the gym for weeks trying to improve his boxing skills, and he has spent hours riding a bicycle in the heat of the day in a further attempt to improve his stamina.

Mayweather has not come close to matching his opponent’s training efforts. He has spent his time meeting and greeting guests at his strip club, taking vacations and buying his family members gifts.

When he has been to the gym, Showtime’s All-Access cameras have shown him at his gym overseeing young fighter Gervonta “Tank” Davis, meeting celebrity friends like Snoop Dogg and occasionally hitting the speed bag. 

His level of training indicates that he has no respect for his opponent. If anything can do Mayweather in, it is that attitude.

Mayweather is a minus-375 favorite in the fight, according to OddsShark, but those odds have come way down since the start of the fight. McGregor is a plus-285 underdog. 

The gambling website reports that the original odds had Mayweather at minus-2250 and McGregor at plus-950, and they quickly moved to Mayweather at minus-800 and McGregor at plus-500. The odds have continued to move in the direction of the Irish fighter.

        

Prediction

When the two fighters finally make their way into the ring, reality is likely to hit McGregor hard.

He may be bigger, stronger and determined to win, but he has to find a way to hit Mayweather with hard punches. Mayweather is a master of avoiding contact in the ring, and once McGregor learns how difficult it is to make contact with his opponent, he will get frustrated.

McGregor has been talking about an early stoppage, and in some ways, that makes sense. The longer the fight goes, the more McGregor’s lack of boxing skill, acumen and experience will be exposed.

McGregor’s best option is to attempt to turn the fight into a toe-to-toe slugfest, but Mayweather will not oblige.

Mayweather’s defensive skill, quickness and quick jab will dominate the fight. Mayweather’s quick lefts will set up hard right hands, and he will punish McGregor. He is not going to stop his opponent, but Mayweather will take 11 or all 12 rounds and win a one-sided unanimous decision.

McGregor won’t like it and he may have many explanations after the boxing match, but they won’t matter. He will get beaten decisively.

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The most interesting fight of the year has finally arrived, with Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor just hours away from finally meeting in the ring. 

The pay-per-view event of the year has always been about the money, and it’s in line to make plenty of it. With an $89.95-99.95 price tag depending on whether you want high definition and buys expected to be through the roof, the two athletes will leave tonight even more wealthy than they were leading into the circus that was the pre-fight hype. 

But all that hype now gives way to an actual fight. As with any Mayweather bout, the question is whether it will be worth the price of admission. 

Here’s a look at all the information you’ll need to catch the fight on pay-per-view as well as a preview of the bout. 

             

Date: August 26, 2017

Time: Main Card starts at 9 p.m. ET

TV: Showtime Pay-per-view

Live Stream: Showtime Pay-per-view 

               

 

McGregor Wins If…

Mayweather has truly taken a step back at 40 years old and isn’t prepared for McGregor’s volume. One thing McGregor usually delivers on is his promise to be aggressive and come forward. In the world of MMA, the Notorious is a great pressure fighter. 

That’s something that will likely translate to boxing, and McGregor made mention of it in his post-weigh-in interview, per Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting. 

“You know that, he looks blown out. Full of water. He’s not gonna keep my pace,” McGregor said. “Trust me on that. That’s the worst shape I’ve ever seen him.”

Combinations have always been the key to combating counterpunchers. Mayweather is one of the best counterpunchers of all time, so McGregor will need to overload Money’s defense with volume. 

Another place where McGregor will need to challenge Mayweather is in the clinch. It’s is one of the few places that should have some direct correlation. While McGregor’s clinch work isn’t a specialty in his cage fighting, it does represent a place where Mayweather will be more easily hit—especially off the breaks. 

If McGregor is able to flood Mayweather with volume, cut off the ring and utilize the clinch to land punches, he can win this fight. 

                   

Mayweather Wins If… 

He can get McGregor swiping at air. Mayweather is one of the best defensive fighters in the history of boxing, and frustration is his game. 

He’s as slick as they come in the defense, and it sets up some excellent counters. Hybrid Shoot showcased an example of what his elusiveness can do to a fighter:

 

Money has spent his time on the promotion trail promising things are going to be different this time. In the latter half of his career, defense has been the name of the game for him, but he says this time is going to be different. 

“I say I guarantee it won’t go the distance. He says it’s not going the distance,” he said, per Dan Rafael of ESPN. “I say it’s not going the distance. So it’s obvious we going to come out from the opening bell and drop bombs.”

After his fight against Manny Pacquiao was a dud, it should comes as no surprise. If that’s actually a forecast for how he’ll fight McGregor, it will be shocking. 

Instead, expect Mayweather to take the easiest path to his retirement money. He’ll look for opportunities to counter, play defense and lead only when he feels he can get to McGregor. 

Anything else would be to play into the Irish brawler’s hands. 

                

Prediction

The atmosphere will be electric when this fight kicks off. There are just a lot of unknowns as this fight is really the first of its kind in many ways. 

After that initial start, fans might be in for another disappointment. 

McGregor could bring the fight to Mayweather and make it the early going interesting. Once Mayweather gets settled in, though, we could be in for his usual deliberate point-fighting. 

To the avid boxing fan, it’s a beautiful class in the sweet science. To those who want to see more action, it’s a night of frustration. 

The initial clash between the two fighters will be interesting. If McGregor has a hope of ending Mayweather’s night, it will be in the first few rounds. However, if Mayweather starts to get his reads and timing, it’s going to be a long night for McGregor and viewers. 

              

Mayweather by unanimous decision

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