If someone told you to buy a fight for a hundred dollars between an undefeated champion, who’s regarded as one of the ten best fighters ever versus a fighter with zero boxing experience would you buy it?
Well, that is what we have here. Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated boxing genius will face off against MMA superstar Conor McGregor, who has zero boxing experience. Yes, zero experience. Floyd Mayweather, although 49-0, has made a career of choosing opponents at the right time and when he knows he has the clear advantage. Despite what many Mayweather fanatics think, he is has been very smart and strategic about who and when he fights. On top of that, he is immensely talented and hands down the greatest defensive fighter in the history of boxing. He has done it once again and has managed to fool the fans once more.
The challenger, Conor McGregor is seen by many as the face of UFC and an invincible-like fighter with knock out power in both hands. Now he is in a whole different world. Different rules apply, different equipment, technique and a handful of other things play a factor. In this case, McGregor has simply bit off way more than he can chew. Sorry McGregor fans but when it comes to boxing, he does not stand a chance against any professional boxer in his weight class or any top amateur for that matter. In all fairness to Conor, Floyd does not stand a chance in the octagon.
With all this said, let’s call this fight what it is, a money grab. A big giant middle finger to fans who think this may actually be a competitive bout, while Floyd and Conor easily snake you for a two-hundred million dollar pay day. Floyd pulled this on us a few years ago when he finally chose to fight a beat up, well passed his prime Manny Pacquiao nearly six years after the public demanded it. A few rounds in and it was clear to see that Pacquiao no longer had the necessary attributes it takes to not only beat Floyd but to even be competitive.
With four million pay per views buys in the bag, a seven-hundred million dollar purse and tens of millions of people watching the fight worldwide, it nearly destroyed the sport. People were expecting a grudge match but were instead put to sleep by a boring fight between two fighters pushing the age of 40. The casual fan was pulled away from boxing and over the next two years, the sport had a lot of rebuilding to do. Thankfully in that time fighters like GGG, Canelo, Chocolatito, Lomachenko and Anthony Joshua emerged and started to bring the boxing lore back to a must watch event.
Many boxing analysts fear that this fight will be more detrimental than the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight. In one night, it can undo all the work, marketing and building it has done to bring the sport back from the dead. Mayweather, who talks a big game has little to no flair in the ring and with Conor’s serious inexperience, people will feel like they watched a boring 12 round sparring session. The casual fan will once again be reminded of why they lost interest in the sport.
The only good thing about this fight is that it is a few weeks before the much anticipated Canelo Vs. Golovkin(GGG) fight. This fight will most certainly remove the bad taste left in people’s mouths and possibly get them excited for boxing again. Boxing needs Canelo/GGG to be action packed because if it is a dud, that will be back to back mega-publicized fights that were huge let downs. Some of you might think there is no chance of that happening, we all thought Chavez Jr would at least put up a fight against Canelo in May and it turned out to be a bust. It will be extremely difficult to rebound from over-hyped mega fights that leave fans flat.
Mayweather and McGregor are entitled to make their enormous jackpot of a pay day but it comes at the expense of the sport. It is a circus and highlights the lack of integrity that the boxing superstar has for the sport that has given him so much. Let’s all hope that this will be the last of Floyd Mayweather Jr. He failed to fight the best when they were at their best, he took winnable fights against weak opposition his entire career. It is fitting that he goes out that way. The legacy he leaves behind will not be one that is admirable.
