There is plenty of money flowing around the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Saturday.
It’s good business for Sin City, the event is expected to shatter pay-per-view records, Mayweather and McGregor themselve…
There is plenty of money flowing around the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Saturday.
It’s good business for Sin City, the event is expected to shatter pay-per-view records, Mayweather and McGregor themselves are going to make large fortunes for one night of work and, of course, the betting will likely be off the charts.
While Mayweather is a solid -400 favorite (bet $400 to win $100), per OddsShark.com, there are plenty of prop bets to keep things interesting for fans. Even Mayweather’s odds of straight-up winning are probably far too low, considering he’s undefeated and McGregor is fighting on a boxer’s terms, and not competing in the mixed martial arts that propelled him to superstardom in the first place.
A strong pay-per-view undercard could also generate plenty of action. Here’s a look at the fight card odds and a few of the many, many prop bets, courtesy of OddsShark as of August 23.
Mayweather-McGregor Fight Card Odds
Floyd Mayweather (-400) vs. Conor McGregor (+300, bet $100 to win $300) Super welterweight
Badou Jack (-450) Nathan Cleverly (+325), light heavyweight
Andrew Tabiti (-300) vs. Steve Cunningham (+230), cruiserweight
Gervonta Davis (-10000) Francisco Fonseca (+1600), junior lightweight
Mayweather-McGregor Prop Bets
Floyd Mayweather by KO, TKO or DQ (-125)
It might surprise some, but Mayweather’s odds of winning by stoppage are better than his odds of artfully boxing his way to a decision win (+250).
The 40-year-old prizefighter hasn’t been in a competitive match since defeating Andre Berto in September 2015, and the last time he won by knockout was in 2011, when he cracked Victor Ortiz immediately after the two touched gloves, in somewhat controversial fashion (Ortiz didn’t look ready, but in boxing you always have to be ready).
Still, this prop bet speaks to the fact that many believe McGregor will be way out of his element fighting on Mayweather’s terms, and that the latter might be more inclined to go on the attack than he would against a seasoned boxing professional.
“Lots of people with a vested financial interest in this fight are trying to convince you that somehow an MMA fighter with zero boxing rounds under his belt could be even competitive against one of the best technical fighters of all time. Don’t believe them. Mayweather wins this fight by an Andre Berto-like (Conor loses every round) unanimous decision. “
Total Punch Percentage Landed by McGregor (Over 15% -120, Under 15% -120)
Mayweather is a master at making people miss. What would be crunching shots on other boxers end up stymied by a glove or a shoulder roll, while potentially glancing blows hit nothing but air.
In Mayweather’s megafight against Manny Pacquiao in 2015, the aggressive Filipino boxer managed to connect on just 19 percent of his punches, per CBS Sports’ Lyle Fitzsimmons. The wild, haymaking Marcos Maidana connected with Mayweather on 26 percent of his punches in a loss in 2014, per MLive.com’s Josh Slagter, but he fared far better than most.
McGregor will be hard pressed to come up with those kinds of numbers. There are many differences, both subtle and overt, in landing punches in a boxing match as compared to an MMA fight. McGregor’s timing, footwork and punch angles will all have to be different from the Octagon if he is to connect with any regularity.
That said, Mayweather is aging, and it’s possible some of the precision and agility that allows him to slip punches by mere centimeters will no longer be there, and he may find himself taking a few blows that a younger version of himself would have dodged with ease.
Of course, McGregor’s path to victory isn’t likely going to be a sustained assault. As he has said himself, he is hoping his power can see him through to a victory.
Conor McGregor to Win in Rounds 1, 2, 3 or 4 (+1400)
Big payouts here for those who think McGregor is going to stop this fight early. McGregor has boasted of an early knockout of Mayweather, even telling the MailOnline’s Daniel Matthews: “Now the gloves are eight pounds, I don’t believe he makes it out of the second round.”
Also, claims don’t get much bolder than this, per SportsCenter:
Those who have watched his UFC fights know that he can crumple an opponent with a single punch. The southpaw may give Mayweather pause early, especially since the latter doesn’t have a book on his opponent due to this being his first proper boxing match. He may have his moments if Mayweather loses focus for even a split-second.
Mayweather, of course, has faced plenty of powerful fighters in his long career, as he was quick to remind McGregor during their final press conference Wednesday, per MMAJunkie.com’s Steven Marrocco and John Morgan:
“August 26th, he’s going to bring his best, and it’s not going to be easy, Conor. Remember, (Manny) Pacquiao got bombs, (Saul) Canelo (Alvarez) got bombs, Shane Mosely had bombs, and all of those guys are going in the Hall of Fame. But one thing about me, I’ve got a granite chin. Remember this. The same way you give it, you have to be able to take it.”
After the first four rounds, the odds start to get pretty steep, culminating in a +5000 line for McGregor to win in any of the last three rounds. A late win for McGregor is possible, but it almost assuredly will have to come through a stunning knockout blow, rather than a technical knockout or points win.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will attempt to defend his perfect record as he battles Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday.
Money remains the favourite to defeat the UFC superstar, but Notorious has honed his boxing skills ahead of the anticipa…
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will attempt to defend his perfect record as he battles ConorMcGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday.
Money remains the favourite to defeat the UFC superstar, but Notorious has honed his boxing skills ahead of the anticipated bout at 154 pounds.
Mayweather will achieve a record of 50-0 if he prevails in the encounter, making him statistically the most successful boxer of the modern era as he surpasses Rocky Marciano’s 49-0.
Per Joe Osborneof OddsShark, Money is currently 1-4 to win at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
Fight nights do not come bigger as Mayweather returns to the ring, exiting retirement to battle McGregor at light middleweight.
Money is defending the honour of his sport, as boxing has witnessed the rapid rise of MMA over the past decade.
If McGregor beats the greatest boxer of his generation at his first attempt in a ring, the interest in pugilism could be damaged.
The clash of styles will be fascinating, with Money happy to defend behind the jab, as Notorious attempts the spectacular.
McGregor pines to be the entertainer, but he is as fierce as they come when combat is the primary subject matter.
In the Octagon, the Irishman would dominate Mayweather, but this fight takes place in Money’s favoured environment.
According to BBC Sport, McGregor has said Mayweather will be beaten within two rounds, but if Money is present in the latter rounds he will then decide to “embarrass him or put him out of his misery.”
Per ArashMarkazi of ESPN, Mayweather commented McGregor will have earned a moral victory if he simply lasts the distance:
Punch power and resistance will be key in the fight, and McGregor‘s youthful advantage and movement could facilitate a shocking night.
The Dublin-born fighter has tipped the odds in his favour many times before, but Mayweather would constitute the most impressive scalp of his career.
Notorious will enter with a style Money has not faced before, and, at 40, the former five-weight world champion might have bitten off more than he can chew against a motivated warrior.
Floyd Mayweather is really rich. You may have heard that already. Probably from him.
Money, for the famously undefeated boxer, is not just something he makes—it’s a lifestyle, nickname and friend. It travels with him in huge bricks, sometim…
Floyd Mayweather is really rich. You may have heard that already. Probably from him.
Money, for the famously undefeated boxer, is not just something he makes—it’s a lifestyle, nickname and friend. It travels with him in huge bricks, sometimes in a duffel bag, sometimes laid out in front of him on a private plane, his ever-present raisond’etre.
But, as he waits in the greenroom for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, finally getting an opportunity to answer my inquiries, Mayweather doesn‘t seem particularly keen on discussing his taxes, investments or vast wealth. How much money is Floyd Mayweather worth? How many properties around the country does he own?
“It’s a lot,” he tells Bleacher Report. “…It is all about diversifying yourself and seeing an opportunity when it comes across your desk. I get a ton of offers to invest in various entities and pick the opportunities I am comfortable with and see future potential with.”
His hesitance to go into detail is OK with me. Because Floyd Mayweather isn’t just some rich guy jetting around the world doing rich guy things. Mayweather, at 40, remains the most polarizing figure in sports.
“There are those who don’t like his persona and consider him a villain and want him to lose,” Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza says. “There’s a part of the audience that wants to see success and hubris collapse upon itself.
“Others love him. This is a guy who has flaws like all of us do. But he took himself from the humblest of beginnings to record-breaking wealth. In less than one generation. And without the help of a major sponsor. He’s a relatively small, African-American boxer who doesn‘t knock people out. The fact that, without any corporate support, he has generated the amount of wealth he has, is remarkable.”
Going into his fight Saturday against UFC star ConorMcGregor, he’s staked his reputation on perfection. His prizefighting record stands at 49-0. One more victory will leave him alone on the mountaintop, above even the great Rocky Marciano for all eternity. When the bout is over, promoter Leonard Ellerbe tells me, his career earnings will exceed $1 billion.
This success, and his unyielding desire to tell you all about it, hasn’t made Mayweather beloved. In fact, the popular consensus is that he’s a boring fighter, a runner. A criminal and a coward.
“I don’t have time for negative people or thoughts in my life,” he says. “I will continue to enjoy my success and live the way I want to. I wish everyone the best in what they have and do with it too.”
There are dueling narratives competing to tell Mayweather’s tale. In one, he’s TBE. The best ever. Yes, that includes Muhammad Ali. Yes, that includes “Sugar” Ray Robinson. If anyone reading is old enough to care, yes, that includes Joe Louis, too.
Others proclaim him a carefully manufactured myth, a good fighter, sure, but nothing special when judged against historical peers.
Which is true?
The latter seems to be winning the war in the public’s consciousness. But is it fair? Are we critical of Mayweather by rote, accepting a story that is, in the parlance of our times, little more than fake news?
Who is Floyd Mayweather? How did he, a small, unlikable African-American stylist in a sport increasingly dominated by ethnic heroes and knockout artists, become the biggest star in the game? How did we find ourselves here, on the eve of a bout many consider little better than spectacle and far from the hallowed days of our youths, when, in our hoary memories at least, this all meant something?
That’s five question marks in a row with nary an answer. Perhaps then, this is an issue that requires more robust study. On the eve of his final bout, let’s look back at every Mayweather fight, from first to last, with fresh eyes, discovering the truth, if such a thing exists, in the process.
Boxing promoters lie. In many ways, it’s central to the profession. They lie to fighters, to television executives, to each other and, ultimately, to themselves.
Most often, the public is their willing patsy. We know they score lower than “used car salesman” or “congressman” on any metric of integrity. We fall for them anyway, trudging into the trenches again and again to have our hearts broken.
See that lumpy former college football lineman? Totally the next Tyson. This kid over here with passable speed? He’s the next Willie Pep.
Boxing promoters lie. But sometimes, whether an accident of the universe or an intentional glimpse behind the curtain, a truth escapes into this world, slipping out of the torrent of never-ending hokum and inanity, waiting to be discovered.
Which was true when promoter Bob Arum called Mayweather “the successor in a line that starts with Ray Robinson, goes to Muhammad Ali, then Sugar Ray Leonard” after a 1998 fight? It’s hard to say. On the one hand, Mayweather was less than two years into his pro career. On the other, he had dispatched respected super featherweight champion Genaro Hernandez in just eight rounds.
It was clear, whether he was the next Leonard or not, that Mayweather was on track to become something special.
“He was praised as a likely savant early on because he was lightning quick and had great hands,” boxing historian Patrick Connor says. “Many recognized that kind of precognitive ability to defend and counter. And as it became more clear that we had an actual great fighter on our hands and not just some guy saying he was great, more scrutiny came with that.”
Watching Mayweather’s career, especially in his formative years, is a revelation. Today’s Mayweather, so cool and calculating, can be seen only in glimpses. Instead, an apex predator lurked in the ring, diving in with left hooks and straight right hands, willing to exchange when reward outweighed risk.
In the first defense of his title, he faced down Angel Manfredy, who walked to the ring carrying a devil mask and accompanied by Kid Rock. He walked out with only shreds of his pride. Manfredy was supposed to provide a stern test. Instead, in a bubble tent set up in the parking lot of a Native American casino in Miami, he provided an object lesson—speed kills.
“At 130-135 pounds he was wrecking shop and seemed able to hurt most opponents,” Connor says. “That changed as he moved up, and especially at welterweight. The jump from 140 to 147 has always been considered a huge one, historically. And when the welterweight division is thick, even more so.”
In the ring, he made even the toughest bouts look comically easy. Against “Goyo” Vargas, a former featherweight title holder, he even took time out to correct HBO play-by-play man Jim Lampley as he claimed Floyd had switched to southpaw for the second time in the fight.
“Third time,” Mayweather, who happened to be in the corner near the announce team, replied.
“Thanks for the correction,” a bemused Lampley replied.
That fight, cakewalk that it was, is a turning point in Mayweather’s career. He injured his hands in the bout, a problem that would plague him throughout his career. By the time Mayweather made the move to 140 pounds and above, he was a different fighter.
“His bad hands likely played a part. How much isn’t clear,” Connor says. “But I also think, as Floyd understood that keeping his 0 intact became important to how he sold himself, adopting a style that protected that even more was likely an attractive option for him.”
To an opponent looking to do him harm, modern Mayweather is little more than a mirage, a wisp of smoke so delicate that he dissipates as punches move nothing but the air around him. Lots of pro boxers play defense with their feet, turning a 36-minute bout into a half-marathon. Mayweather, especially as a young man, could play that game with the best of them.
But, despite his reputation, he’s rarely been that kind of fighter. He doesn‘t have to be. And, perhaps, that disdain hurts his foes even more than losing—he’s so overwhelmingly confident, so in control of a boxing ring, that he doesn‘t even do them the courtesy of running.
He stands right in the pocket, or even back against the ropes, still as a statue, all but begging to be demolished. In theory, this gives his opponent a chance. But in reality, as HBO commentator Larry Merchant pointed out during the Vargas fight, “they have Mayweather right where he wants them.”
Once there, finally free to unleash their pent-up fury, they find Mayweather has disappeared.What makes it a magic trick is that his body rarely moves at all. He’s there somewhere behind a barrage of forearms, shoulders and endless right hands, mind racing, eyes darting, processing information at a faster rate than anyone else in the sport.
Mayweather is cable internet, his foes a squawking dial-up connection still trying to connect while Floyd is already in motion.
What makes him great is incremental. He never flails out of the way in panic mode, no matter how dark the heart of the man standing in front of him, quarters so tight that he can feel each breath that escapes his opponent’s body.
He moves his head exactly as much as he needs to for a punch to miss, remaining close and composed enough to strike back, right hand darting out like the tongue of a snake, retracting before anyone ever knows he’s moved at all.
You can watch in slow motion as the great Miguel Cotto comes a centimeter from a devastating, fight-changing blow, only to fail miserably and pay a stiff price. Witness Phillip N’Dou, throw six, eight, 10 punches in vain, Mayweather watching each subtle change in body position and reacting accordingly, there to be hit but not.
These moments, over 49 fights and two decades, are nearly endless. Over and over again, we’ve seen him take the best fighters in the world, from the swaggering puncher Diego Corrales to the quietly confident Juan Manuel Marquez, and make them look human. Hall of Famers, men like Arturo Gatti, appear helpless before his superior, well, everything.
Even then, Mayweather is rarely satisfied. The great ones never are.
“I don’t even watch the fights because it’s hard for me to watch,” he told reporters on a conference call last week. “It could be any of my top fights that people say that they love the most, but I say I could’ve been better. I could have done that better because I’m critical of myself and I feel like there’s never been enough. When I go out there and compete, I could’ve done something better, I could’ve been better. So, it’s good to not even watch it.”
Somehow, because we never know what we’ve got until it’s gone, this routine excellence has become predictable and even a little dull.
Boxing is an ugly business. Calling it the sweet science seems a particularly cruel joke. Most fighters leave the ring without even the pretense of hope for a bright future. Those few who manage to walk away with pockets bulging don’t tend to hold on to it for long.
No one expects a happy ending.
Inside the ring, too, boxing is a brutal enterprise. It’s mostly an endless grind of punching the air, punching a bag and, finally, punching another man. Most fights, too, are a repetitive slog, forward and backward shuffling occasionally interrupted by a punch or two. The best-case scenario, for the spectator at least, is two men foolishly risking their long-term health to prove a point to the other fighter or, more likely, to themselves.
Beauty, true beauty, is rare. Against this stark, grim landscape, it’s almost off-putting and unwelcome. And few have been more beautiful in the ring than Mayweather. His is an artistry unmatched in this era, an ability to judge distance, time and geometry and then make the right decision in the amount of time it takes most people to even register a punch has been thrown.
“I don’t think that I’m the same Floyd Mayweather that I was 10 years ago,” he says. “I’m not even the same Floyd Mayweather that I was five or two years ago. But I still said that I still have a high IQ in that ring. And I said experience-wise, it leans towards me, just period.
“Most times when I go out there and compete against any fighter, experience will always lean towards me because I’ve been in the ring and been at such a high level for so long.”
Mayweather is often accused of being a defensive fighter, boxing’s original sin. Sure, we give lip service to the idea that the point of the sport is to “hit without being hit.” But no one truly believes it.
In his first reign as champion, Muhammad Ali was fast as a hiccup, capable of shutting down opponents with disturbing ease, talking to them the whole time.
No one loved him for it.
Only after time revealed him to be human, after sacrificing his body in endless battles of attrition, did the public truly come to admire him.
Mayweather never made that concession to boxing fans. He never had to. Hiding in his defensive shell, left arm carefully covering his belly, right hand protecting his chin from a left hook, shoulder and preternatural reflexes there to guard against anything else that might come his way, Mayweather fights only when he wants to. He’ll poke his head out to throw a speedy right hand, then retreat back inside to do it again and again.
Truly gifted defensive fighters rarely sit the throne in the sport of boxing. Sure, they are appreciated by hardcore fans, the kind who make lists dating back a century, then argue about them on the internet. But their bouts take place either on the undercard of true stars or in front of a sprinkling of fans on cable television when they venture out on their own.
That was true of Mayweather, too. It wasn’t, however, a fate he was willing to accept. He knew more was possible, that crossover attempts with the hip-hop community were poorly executed and conceived. He knew he could be the biggest star in the sport if just given the chance.
“I always believed in my abilities and knew I was going to be able to have substantial financial success in the sport,” Mayweather says. “I just felt that in order to do that I had to take matters into my own hands. The whole time, and in the early stage of my career, I started and stayed paying attention to what they were doing and how they were doing it. I knew with the right people around me, like Al Haymon as an adviser, I would be able to do it myself.”
Almost no one else believed in him. HBO offered a deal he called a “slave contract.” He feuded with promoters, partners and even his own family. Something better, he knew, was out there for him. He was intent on finding it, even if he had to make the journey by himself.
In 2006, Mayweather bought Arum out and went it alone.
“He bet on himself early,” Espinoza says. “There aren’t many guys, at that stage of his career, who would write a check to a promoter for $750,000. With nothing waiting on the other side. He essentially bought his freedom, with the confidence that there were not just greener pastures waiting for him, but enough opportunities to recoup that $750,000 many, many times over.”
It wasn’t, however, his work in the ring that made Mayweather boxing’s top attraction overnight. He was distinctly the B-side in both the Oscar De La Hoya fight and his next bout with English sensation Ricky Hatton. It was his willingness to embrace change and reinvent boxing promotion for a new generation that earned him a seat at the table as seven-figure paydays turned to eight and then nine-figure events.
“What Floyd and his partner Al Haymon recognized early on, was that there was a tremendous opportunity if they could set up a business model that did not rely on a promoter as a sort of middleman,” Espinoza says. “So, rather than the typical boxing model, which has the promoter at the center, taking in all the revenue, paying the fighters and making a hefty profit for himself, Floyd’s business model put himself at the center. He collects all the revenues and hires a promoter, paying him a portion of the proceeds. But he remains the master of his domain.
“Floyd doesn‘t have to negotiate with anybody what share of the proceeds he’s getting. He knows that, whatever is left after expenses and after the opponent is paid, is all his. There’s no split with a promoter. That put him ahead of the game and allowed him to control his own destiny and his revenue streams.”
Mayweather wasn’t just next in a long line of stars. He was the first of his kind, building on the framework De Le Hoya had created when he went into business for himself at the tail end of his career and formed Golden Boy Promotions. Mayweather took that template even further, becoming more than a fighter—he was a budding mogul, both salesman and product, an industry unto himself.
The first time Floyd Mayweather spoke into the camera on HBO’s 24/7, the message was simple and stark.
“Look me in the eyes, Oscar. Look me in my eye. I’m going to kick your ass.”
Ten years later, it seems almost trite—the flashy bravado, the money thrown at the camera, the fast cars and lavish lifestyle paraded out for a generation of budding retail addicts looking for a fleeting thrill.
At the time, no one had seen anything like it. Mayweather took fans behind the scenes into his life, both the bright and shiny exhibitions of excess and the dark corners where family business was laid bare and insecurities came scuttling to the surface and into the slightest sliver of light.
“I was sitting around one day and it came to me that why not show the fans the whole picture of my life, in and outside the boxing ring,” Mayweather says. “It brought the fans closer to boxing’s own version of reality television and I was the star. Why not give them something different, something they could feel they were part of? That is what we did back then and still doing it with Showtime All Access now.”
It was magical television.
“Success has many fathers,” Espinoza says. “When the book is written on Floyd’s career, I’m sure many will claim part of the credit. But, ultimately, Floyd created Floyd and Floyd built Floyd through his connection with the audience. He was willing to embrace the villain character, the “Money” character. Which isn’t necessarily a character—it’s a version of himself. He was the perfect personality to come along with the rise of social media. And he took advantage of it like no other.
“The blueprint was created by Floyd. His intuitive sense of the market and the audience is uncanny. He doesn‘t talk in terms of things like brands, branding and being authentic. He doesn‘t throw around buzzwords. But if you look at what he’s done in establishing this persona, he’s a genius. It comes naturally and intuitively without anyone having taught him about handling the media and marketing. Those are just things he understands intuitively.”
Strangely, the more Mayweather revealed, the more opaque he seemed. He allowed a glimpse—but the real man also seemed just beyond reach, shadowed no matter how bright the lights. Mayweather has a pretty smile and an easy laugh. His eyes, too often, tell another story, though, one that reflects his hard-knock early life. Floyd may flash a smile, but danger lurks there just beneath the surface.
All of this keeps it interesting, text and subtext colliding, hours of reality television creating a fascinating portrait of a man. It’s why, against all odds, he’s become the biggest attraction in all of athletics.
Where does all this leave us? Likely right back where we started.
Critics, like Deadspin’s Charles Farrell, will never be satisfied, yearning for a different time and place when boxing was a different animal and it didn‘t take more than 20 years to amass 50 fights:
“Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is an unembellished fighter who, these days, knocks no one out. His unprecedented market value comes more from his mouth than from his fists; his slogan of “the best ever” can gain currency only with an audience that didn’t come up seeing legitimately great fighters, and doesn’t quite have the critical thinking needed to assess greatness. Floyd has hammered home his point about being undefeated so relentlessly that boxing fans have bought it. Being undefeated for nearly 19 years must make him the greatest fighter ever. Or at least one of the top two or three.”
True believers will go right on believing, holding firm to the notion that even a victory against a fighter without a single professional bout is one for the ages. There is no bridging this gap.
On Sunday morning, the Mayweather era will be over, but the conversation will never be finished. That, more than anything else, is a sign Mayweather was one for the ages—when discussing the greats, you have to reckon with his legacy. He matters. And that is enough.
Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has a chance to pull off one of the greatest upsets in sports history when he goes head-to-head against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 26.
The boxing apprenti…
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has a chance to pull off one of the greatest upsets in sports history when he goes head-to-head against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 26.
The boxing apprentice, making his first professional appearance in the ring, will step outside the Octagon and attempt to become the first man to defeat Mayweather, himself making his 50th appearance in pursuit of a perfect 50-0 record.
McGregor remains the underdog to emerge victorious with the bookmakers, but MMA commentator Jon Anik recently discussed with OddsShark how the chances have moved in his favour of late:
And Mayweather’s favourite status has been gradually whittled down in the buildup to the bout, at least with the bookmakers, meaning the chances to make a profit off his potential victory are improving, while the Notorious loses value.
Read on for a roundup of the latest odds on offer, complete with a prediction of how the fight will progress, whether it will ever go the distance and who we can expect to see dominate the scorecard come August 26.
The fight will see the newcomer in McGregor attempt to outbox the veteran, Mayweather, very likely the greatest defensive fighter to have graced the squared circle in a fixture many see as one-sided.
It’s up to McGregor, 29, quickly establishing himself as one of the best MMA stars to have lived, to prove the transition between the two crafts isn’t as difficult as some would suggest—at least not for one of his skill level.
Granted, it will be an entirely new challenge for McGregor, a jack of all trades in MMA, to take on a master in the form of Mayweather, 40, but with 11 years separating the two and the former in his pomp, it’s far from an open-and-closed discussion.
Mayweather could prove to be the harbinger some predict and pick the newcomer apart or McGregor will fire out of the blocks and end it early on, as he recently predicted on Conan:
It’s also significant that the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved the fighters’ requests to use eight-ounce gloves rather than the heavier 10-ounce gloves recently reserved for fights above 147 pounds, per BBC Sport.
The Notorious, who is used to predicting—often successfully—how his fights will finish, cited this as cause to reduce his expectation for how long his upcoming opponent will last to just four rounds:
“I don’t believe with the new gloves he makes it out of the second round.
“Part of me kind of wants to show some skill and dismantle him but I do not see him absorbing the blows.
“I am ready to go to war for 12 rounds and I am also ready to put him away in seconds. There is no way in hell I am not prepared to fight in the deepest of trenches.”
It’s been almost two years since Mayweather defeated Andre Berto via unanimous decision before retiring in September 2015, and it’s been almost six years since he last finished an opponent, Victor Ortiz, winning seven decisions since then.
McGregor doesn’t play by the same tactics; in comparison, seven of his nine UFC wins have come via stoppage.
Not only will his unorthodox style present a problem to the elder statesman or his 2″ reach advantage grant him an added weapon, but his calmness under pressure tends to yield results:
Even those who mock McGregor’s attempt to take on arguably the best boxer ever seen would have to concede that in a fight, anything can happen on any given day. Everyone has a fighter’s chance.
We can expect McGregor to fly out of the blocks, and while his victory may not be as swift as even he predicts, he will connect eventually, and in his hands lies a stopping power that Mayweather can’t match.
Prediction: McGregor to win via TKO in Round 5.
Mayweather leading scorecard at time of finish: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46
Until the chaos actually unfolds in the ring, there’s no way to tell if UFC star Conor McGregor and multi-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. will actually put on an entertaining fight. It is clear—however—that both have prov…
Until the chaos actually unfolds in the ring, there’s no way to tell if UFC star ConorMcGregor and multi-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. will actually put on an entertaining fight. It is clear—however—that both have proven adept at creating hype.
The two have built this contest into a must-see television event, even if one of the combatants is making his debut in the sport.
That’s the power of hype in the social media age, and no one is better at it than these two. Mayweather’s brash talk has paired with the impressiveness of having an undefeated record to become boxing’s biggest draw, while the Irishmen’s ability, unnatural confidence and willingness to bend the rules for what a UFC fighter is has made him wildly successful in his own right.
With the fight approaching on August 26, the two are still doing what they do best: Promoting.
If the pay-per-view buys aren’t an indication, the shrinking odds certainly are. McGregor‘s unwavering confidence has the line surprisingly low given the circumstances.
Here’s a look at the latest line from OddsShark:
Mayweather Line: -400 (Bet $400 to win $100)
McGregor Line: +300 (Bet $100 to win $300)
Twitter Hype
This is essentially a fight that social media made, so it makes sense that the topic has taken over the virtual ether.
Of course, the charge is led by each of the fighters. Both have made sure that the other knows they are in shape and ready for the fight. McGregor had a similar message for Mayweather that he did for Jose Aldo when he fought the longtime featherweight champion in UFC:
McGregor‘s schtick of making predictions that he sometimes even keeps hasn’t taken a break. While he’s repeatedly said he’s going to knockout the undefeated boxer, his most recent prediction has been knocked all the way down to a first round job.
UFC tweeted Mystic Mac’s latest prediction for how the fight is going to play out:
Mayweather is making some predictions of his own in this one. He didn’t specify the round, but he’s adamant this thing isn’t going the distance.
Showtime Tweeted out his prediction:
The two have spent months taking jabs at one another, but the buzz goes beyond the two fighters. Other fighters from both sports have chimed in with some predictions of their own. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of love for the Irishman.
There are those in the boxing world who believe that McGregor has what it takes to make it interesting. His power and self-confidence are two things that stand out to those who practice the sweet science.
Both Andre Ward and Chris Eubank Jr. were positive about the Notorious’ chances to make it an interesting fight:
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub is one on the MMA side who also believes that McGregor has a shot at pulling off the upset:
Of course, Dana White will be firmly in McGregor‘s corner on Saturday night. A win for McGregor could be a win for the sport of sorts as he’s hoping there will be some crossover appeal if Notorious proves that he can knockout an elite boxer like Mayweather:
It’s easy to understand looking at the Twitter activity surrounding this fight why McGregor was able to talk his way into this opportunity. There’s a base of fighters, promoters and people involved in both sports that believe he can actually be the one to defeat Mayweather.
The facts surrounding this fight remain. McGregor—who is undoubtedly an accomplished MMA fighter—has never fought in a boxing match as a professional. He’ll be taking on the best fighter of a generation in Mayweather on Saturday night.
Even with McGregor‘s unwavering self-belief, a size advantage and all the other intangible arguments that can be made that he’ll pull off the upset, it’s still hard to wrap one’s head around a McGregor win.
It would be entertaining to see and certainly open the door for more spectacle fights, but this isn’t the first time that someone was supposedly the one to beat Mayweather.
McGregor likely won’t be the one to do so, but watching the buzz build for the event throughout the week should make it a memorable affair.
The highly anticipated bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is nearly upon us, concluding months of buildup and back-and-forths between the two camps.
Money remains the favourite, per OddsShark.com, as he seeks a record-breaking 50th wi…
The highly anticipated bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and ConorMcGregor is nearly upon us, concluding months of buildup and back-and-forths between the two camps.
Money remains the favourite, per OddsShark.com, as he seeks a record-breaking 50th win. His current record of 49-0 is tied for the best unbeaten mark in boxing history, shared with heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.
Here’s a look at the latest projections:
Floyd Mayweather: 1-4 to win
ConorMcGregor: 3-1 to win
Mayweather has been favoured to beat the UFC lightweight champion since the moment the fight was announced, with almost all pundits and analysts pointing at his perfect record and the fact his opponent has never fought as a professional boxer.
While McGregor is known for his excellent standup game in the UFC, his technique is built for the Octagon and not the ring. His hand speed and power are both fantastic for an MMA fighter, but whether that will translate to boxing is anyone’s guess.
As shared by ESPN’s ArashMarkazi, Mayweather believes The Notorious should consider lasting the distance a victory of sorts:
At 40 years old, Mayweather’s last fight was nearly two years ago, a decision win over Andre Berto in September 2015. The last fighter to arguably test him was Marcos Maidana in their first meeting, in May 2014.
Money has never stood out with his power, impressing instead with awesome defence, footwork and hand speed. That hand speed will be the main question mark after a lengthy layoff, and the veteran has conceded he’s no longer the same fighter he was, per ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith:
But those comments could be mind games or Mayweather trying to hype a fight most assume will be a one-sided affair.
On top of his boxing skills, McGregor will also have to answer questions regarding his conditioning on Saturday. The Irishman gassed badly in his loss against Nate Diaz at UFC 196, and while he lasted the distance in the rematch at UFC 202 a year ago, he had to slow down during the middle rounds.
Against Mayweather, he will likely come out firing, knowing his best chance of winning will be by way of the early knockout. Once Money finds his pace and figures out the right distance, his ability to move in the ring makes him almost impossible to beat in the latter rounds.
Given Mayweather’s lack of knockout power, a decision seems likely, although the veteran will want to prove a point by knocking out the MMA star. But his perfect record should be more important than a statement win, so expect the American to be careful once he settles in.
There is plenty of money flowing around the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Saturday.