Some call it a freakshow, saddened that the integrity of boxing and MMA is being brushed aside; some have called for the fight to be boycotted, perhaps a tad unsettled that a man possessing no record in professional boxing is fighting one with the most illustrious. Most others, however, just can’t wait for it to swing around.
Floyd Mayweather fights Conor McGregor on August 26th in a 12-round boxing contest that the entire world of combat sport will sit up and take notice of, whether they’re sold on the idea or not.
How could they not?
On one side stands the buccaneering poster boy of MMA, armed with a sniper-like left hand and bags of charisma. His emboldened approach of fighting anyone, at any weight, at any time – and rising to the occasion – symbolic of the audacious growth of the sport.
On the other, the gold standard of boxing, supremely dexterous and fiercely protective of his legacy. A doyen in self-promotion and a master warsmith, picking and choosing the right battles at the right time.
Not to mention, they’re undisputedly two of the most magnetic personalities in the world of combat sport today. And when they clash, Conor McGregor will have to put his money where his mouth is, and Floyd, his unsullied 49-0 record on the line.
Most analysts, however, feel that there is only one possible outcome for the fight; after all, a fighter with no prior professional fighting experience stands as much chance as you or me against one of the greatest boxers of all time.
But is that all there is to it?
In the full extent of our armchair analysis, are we letting those delicious little nuances that characterise fighting slip under the radar? Are we, in our haste to predict doom and gloom for the MMA fighter entering the unfamiliar realm of boxing, ignoring the intangibles inherent to combat?For if we are, let us quickly snap out of it and attest this uniquely attractive fight the dilligence it is due . Here then, are 5 ways in which the Mayweather-McGregor superfight can actually pan out.
#1 Floyd Mayweather Masterclass
Floyd Mayweather has long referred to himself as the Best Ever and it isn’t without good reason. He’s got a way of making great fighters look thoroughly ordinary with his airtight defensive skills and masterful game-planning.
Manny Pacquiao was stifled, Canelo Alvarez was schooled, and a number of other fighters outclassed on the way to that gleaming 49-0 record. And realistically speaking, 50-0 doesn’t seem that big of a deal for him now.
If 90% of the people in the know about combat are plumping for Floyd to pick apart Conor McGregor without sustaining damage himself, it’s because Floyd Mayweather’s modus operandi has been exactly that over the years.
And I’m not about to presume to know better than them.
#2 Flash knockout for Conor McGregor
This, of course, is the politically correct “what if” base that everyone seems to want to cover when rendering their analysis of the fight. While they mostly expect Floyd Mayweather to ease to victory, they’re being pretty cautious in affording McGregor at least a ‘puncher’s chance.’
But It would seem, given the ‘Touch of Death’ that he possesses in his left hand, that is all he needs.
Floyd’s traditionally struggled against southpaws and McGregor is as left-handed as they come. Coupled with his unorthodox, MMA-inspired fighting stance that the boxer would likely never have experienced before, McGregor is as unique a stylistic challenge for Mayweather as any he would have encountered.
An early sighter, an unexpected opening and in a blink of an eye... it’s lights out.
#3 The death knell for boxing
Now it’s one thing if Conor McGregor ‘catches’ Floyd Mayweather early and knocks him out.
The narrative would read Floyd Mayweather’s age (which is a grand 40, by the way) and the ring rust from not being in active competition for almost two years were culpable for his undoing.
But it’s totally another thing if he gets outclassed and packed up by Conor McGregor they way Eddie Alvarez was. How unlikely a scenario that is, is immaterial. That it has been done before by James “Buster” Douglas against Mike Tyson proves that on his day, even the underdog can whip up a storm.
It would have to be the perfect storm as far as McGregor is concerned but the Irishman has proved his uncanny ability to bend the Universe to his will before.
Needless to say, this would be the worst possible scenario for the sport of boxing. The stuttering giant is already teetering on the verge of falling apart due to a dearth of big personalities and bigger fights.. .and the last thing that it needs is its biggest name humiliated by the face of MMA.
#4 MMA learns its place
Conor McGregor is a knockout artist. And like most knockout artists, he functions predominantly on explosive twitch muscles. If he catches you flush, as he’s fully capable of doing with that stinging left hand, chances are that you’re going to sleep.
But the trade-off is that he has to expend a lot of energy to sustain that style of fighting, exposing his cardio when the fight meanders into the later rounds.
It was evident in the Nate Diaz fight, when he self-admittedly “blew his load” and ended up folding in the face of Nate’s zombie-ness. Although he addressed it in his rematch victory at UFC 202, a replay of that debacle can’t really be ruled out against Floyd.
As he’s displayed countless times, Floyd gets stronger as the fight goes on and has an exceptional gas tank that can easily keep him sailing when others sink in deep waters. As far as McGregor and the sport of MMA – whom he’s representing – are concerned, that would be the worst case scenario.
Especially if McGregor goes head hunting and finds himself easily stonewalled by Floyd’s expert defence – only to exhaust himself in the process – it could be a long and embarrassing night for the Irishman.
#5 Both of them come out looking like winners
Conor McGregor doesn’t bother taking his fights past the second round, with the Nate Diaz rematch and the fight against Max Holloway the only exceptions to that rule. And while one was against a cardio machine with a granite chin, the other was due to a torn ACL.
Floyd, on the other hand, is a marathon expert who has an impeccable defence, forcing his opponents to go the distance against him.
One way or another, something has to give on August 26th.
But to his credit, McGregor has displayed flexibility in adjusting his approach, namely in how he curtailed the high-energy, low-payoff spinning techniques he was throwing in the first fight against Diaz and almost exclusively focused on his boxing at UFC 202.
And if he adopts a similar game plan against Floyd, lasting the 12 rounds and even taking a few himself, it would reflect tremendously on his resume.
Of course, everyone expects Mayweather to win the fight if it goes the distance but an MMA fighter who hangs in there with the greatest boxer of this generation in his first ever professional boxing bout surely wins the hearts.
Win-win.
