WS Chronicle

The highly publicized fight between Floyd Mayweather and Irishman Conor McGregor is less than a month away.  On Saturday, Aug. 26, the two fighting titans will square off in the ring. 

Many fight experts are expecting a decisive victory for Mayweather while many Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans think McGregor has a fighting chance, pun intended.  This reporter thinks this is going to be the easiest fight in Mayweather’s career because of McGregor’s lack of experience.

Mayweather is an undefeated champion with a record of 49-0, tying Rocky Marciano for the best boxing record of all time.  He has faced off against many of the great boxers of this era and has beaten them all.  McGregor is a mixed martial artist (MMA) who has never had a professional boxing fight.  For him to think he can step in the ring with the pound-for-pound best boxer of our generation is rather amusing.

Mayweather has beaten the likes of Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao, just to name a few.  All of those boxers held a world title at some point in their careers and are widely regarded as some of the greats in the light and middleweight divisions.

The skill set needed to be successful in both disciplines are somewhat similar as MMA involves boxing, but that is not the main component as submissions, take downs and kicks are pivotal as well.  But with different glove sizes and not facing top notch boxers in every match, McGregor is at a decided disadvantage.  Mayweather, on the other hand, has been doing this for over 30 years, so this fight is another day at the office for him.

Don’t get me wrong; McGregor by all accounts is a talented boxer for an MMA fighter, but a novice boxer has no shot at defeating a legend.  I am not sure what the major motivation is for both fighters in this match.  Is it money, notoriety or bragging rights?

I wonder why Mayweather would take this fight because it seems to be a lose-lose situation outside of the monetary aspect.  If he wins its because he was supposed to, but if he loses, well, I don’t think he wants to think of the ramifications of that thought, which puts all the pressure on him. 

For McGregor, he is coming into the fight knowing he is the underdog.  As the fighter with little to no boxing experience taking on one of the all-time greats, he has little to no pressure on him.  I understand him taking this fight, as it has grown his brand to a larger demographic along with giving him a $100 million payday.  Win-win if you ask me.

McGregor has said Mayweather has never faced an opponent that can pressure him and hit as hard as he can.  I beg to differ, as a few fighters have tried the mauling approach in fighting Mayweather but they have all failed.  Mayweather is able to adapt to many fighting styles that people have thrown at him over the years as evident by his 49-0 record.

McGregor is the bigger fighter and bigger fighters have had some limited success against Mayweather in the past.  Yes, McGregor does have above average punching power but hitting Mayweather is going to be his biggest obstacle.  Mayweather is known as one of, if not the best defensive fighters of all time.  He has an innate knack for getting out of harms way before too much damage is inflicted.

I expect this fight to be over before it really starts.  I have a feeling from all of the trash talk McGregor has done in the fight build up Mayweather will toy with McGregor for a few rounds to inflict some damage before dispatching him.  I would not be surprised if a knockout happens in round 7 or 8, honestly.

One thing Mayweather cannot do is to underestimate his opponent.  The chances of that are slim to none, as I think he wants the all time record of most victories without a defeat.  But does McGregor have one punch knockout power with 8-ounce gloves?  This should be an interesting spectacle but do not expect to see a boxing showcase. 

Be prepared for a glorified sparring session where Mayweather exposes all of McGregor’s weaknesses because boxing is known as the “sweet science” for a reason.