Mayweather v McGregor: the sport of boxing in for a fight

Floyd Mayweather is doing more than fighting UFC star Conor McGregor, he is defending the honour of the sport of boxing.

Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor finally has his shot at boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Picture: AP

It all seemed like talk when a bearded and bespectacled Conor McGregor walked his Irish mate Michael Conlon to the ring for a superbantamweight boxing bout at Madison Square Garden, watched him win, pointed at the red and white ropes and screamed at the reporters huddled ringside in New York City: “I’m going to step in there and shock the whole goddamn world. Trust me on that. Look me in the eyes. Twenty-eight years of age, confident as a ­motherf….., long, rangy, dangerous with every hand. Trust me. I’m going to stop Floyd Mayweather and you’re all going to eat your words. The whole world is going to eat their words.”

It still seemed like talk when three months of rumours per­sisted about the ferocious lightweight UFC champion with the heavyweight mouth being ­granted his wish to slip on some shoes and put up the dukes against Mayweather, the 40-year-old, five-division, undefeated cham­peee-on of the world.

It’s a big reach advantage for McGregor, but a massive advantage in boxing experience for Mayweather.

The obstacles seemed reas­onable enough: McGregor had never boxed and Mayweather had retired.

But if anything on this planet can talk louder than McGregor it’s money, and yesterday their 12-round boxing stink at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was announced for August 26 in an estimated payday of $US100 million ($130m) each.

Only four years ago, McGregor could barely afford a pot to piss in while he awaited a UFC debut and cashed welfare cheques worth about 200 bucks a pop.

“I talked to Conor McGregor this morning,” UFC president Dana White told reporters in Vegas.

“When you talk to this kid, it’s fascinating. He’s absolutely 100 per cent positive that he wins this fight. I stopped doubting Conor McGregor a long time ago. When two men step into the ring or the octagon or whatever it is, anything is possible.

“Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old. He’s always had problems with southpaws. Conor McGregor is 28 years old, he’s a southpaw and whenever Conor hits people, they fall. He will fight anybody, anywhere, any time. He will go after Floyd Mayweather and he will try to knock him out.”

McGregor confirmed the fight yesterday by posting a picture of himself with the 64-year-old Floyd Mayweather Sr.

THE FIGHT IS ON. pic.twitter.com/KhW0u3jRft

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 14, 2017

His pre-fight press conference might be more value than the fight itself. The bout has enormous ramifications. If McGregor takes down the 49-0 Mayweather, the sweet science will start looking like the dithering old relative to the bold and brash UFC.

If Mayweather wins, boxing retains its old-fashioned prestige ­despite the UFC having a superior product in terms of organisation and blockbuster bouts.

“If you look at this thing and you look at how big this fight is, and you look at how big these athletes are that are involved in this fight, if Conor does knock Floyd Mayweather out, he is the biggest athlete on earth,” White said.

“When you go out and you put everything on the line — I’ve said this about Floyd Mayweather for years, he loves money, loves money — but that record is actually, I think, more important to him than money.

“For him to go out and risk that 49-0 against a guy like Conor, props to both guys for making the fight happen. The impossible deal is now done.”

The UFC has everything to gain and nothing much to lose when Mayweather, who retired after his snoozefest against Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Vegas in 2015, climbs into the ring against the wild man of the UFC.

Mayweather and boxing itself will have their reputations on the line against a Dubliner in the prime of his career.

LABoxer Floyd Mayweather Jr speaks as he is inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame eariler this month. Photo: Getty Images

McGregor might prove to be clueless when it comes to the per­ipheral nuances of pugilism but a victory for him would tarnish Mayweather’s legacy and give a black eye to the centuries-old sport.

Ten-time world boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya has rubbished it as “disrespect to boxing” and called on fans of the more traditional fight game to boycott it.

“To my fellow boxing fans, I write in the hopes that together we can protect the sport of boxing,” De La Hoya wrote last month.

“With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the circus known as Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor will be coming to town in the near future.

“As undercard fights start to take form, athletic commissions give their blessings in exchange for millions of dollars, and the fighters start counting even more cash, one group will eventually be left to make sure this farce doesn’t occur — we, the fans, who are the lifeblood of our sport.”

White shot back that De La Hoya was sour because he had failed in his attempts to stage the fight himself through his Golden Boy Promotions company.

“For the boxing community to be disgusted, first of all, it’s about the fans,” White said. “What do the fans want to see? If you’re a fan of combat sports, this is the greatest end of the year … the thing that upset me about Oscar De La Hoya was that he came out and asked fans to not buy the fight. Why? What is that?

“It’s an incredible opportunity for fans of combat sports. Everybody should be thrilled. Including the boxing guys. Including Oscar De La Hoya.”