Tonight is the night we’ve been waiting for.
It almost feels unreal that Saturday night is finally the night where arguably one of the best boxers of all time Floyd “Money” Mayweather (49-0) steps into the ring for the 50th time professionally with the biggest MMA fighter on the planet “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (21-3 UFC Lightweight Champion). The much anticipated and highly debated boxing match has been at the forefront of the combat sports world for many months now. This fight feels like it has been talked about for almost 2 years, and now the time is finally here. There are so many pundits and hot take artists in the media today weighing in since this fight was announced back in June that the eyes on this fight should be record setting. People have called it a sham, a spectacle, and a foregone conclusion that Floyd Mayweather will move to 50 and 0 and move into retirement. There is a real chance that is the case, and this has just been all hype to create two gigantic purses for both guys sure, but there is also that slight chance the unthinkable happens and Conor McGregor places himself in the legendary status column.
Floyd Mayweather is without a doubt the best boxer in his generation and could be argued as one of the best boxers of all time. His defensive style and ability to avoid damage has always been his greatest weapon. Floyd has taken on a ton of former champions and some of the biggest names in modern day boxing. His hit list reads as follows: Manny Pacquiao (59-7), Marcos Maidana (35-5), Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1), Miguel Cotto (40-5), “Sugar” Shane Mosley (49-10-1 1NC), Ricky Hatton (45-3), Zab Judah (43-9 2NC), Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1), and “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (39-6). He has made these guys look like they were just simply outclassed for the most part. When you go back and look at landed punches percentages for these fights the difference between Floyd and his opponents is crazy. That is a murderers row of some of the best boxers we have seen in the modern era. He has easily made the most money of any fighter as well, and his pay per view revenue for his career is astronomical and estimated at over a billion dollars. Floyd was born a fighter, who trained from a young age. He developed one of the best defensive boxing strategies that have ever existed. It is unbelievably impressive that a guy who has entered a boxing ring 49 times has been hit as little as he has. Floyd has only finished one fighter since 2011 and that was Victor Ortiz (32-6-2). Since then he has seen 7 straight judges’ decisions all in his favor. The biggest prediction going from the media is that Floyd will win this on points. You hear boxing coaches talk about Floyd being able to toy with Conor and put him away when he chooses. Floyd most certainly has the boxing acumen to do what he wants inside the ring, and his defensive strategy and ability to stay out of trouble could have him cruise to a victory. The head games that Floyd usually is able to play against his opponents, however, haven’t seemed to work against Conor, and vice versa. This has the feel of a real prize fight no matter what people say. Floyd is favored and he absolutely should be, and he should be able to easily make his way to a record of 50 and 0 if he fights his fight.
Conor McGregor debuted in the UFC in 2013. He had been a multi division champion in Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. He won his first 7 straight fights in the UFC claiming both the UFC Interim Featherweight and Featherweight title. He knocked out or TKO’d6 of his first 7 opponents in the UFC and was an absolute world beater. Conor was able to knockout former UFC Title challenger Chad “Money” Mendes (17-4) to claim the Interim Title. He then proceeded to score a 13 second knockout of Jose Aldo (26-3 #1 Ranked Featherweight) ending a nearly 9-year unbeaten streak. That was the moment that launched Conor McGregor to super stardom. He then had his two fight battle with Nate Diaz (20-11) which did feature a submission loss, but that loss does not matter in the boxing world. Then came the crowning achievement defeating Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez (28-5 1NC #3 Ranked Lightweight) in Madison Square Garden to become the first ever simultaneous multi divisional champion in UFC history. Striking is the game they are playing on Saturday and Conor has proven his striking game is not to be messed with. The left hand when it lands it puts his opponents down, and that has been proven time and time again. He will need to figure out Floyd’s defense, and that is so much easier said than done. Conor’s best chance is to come out early and land a big shot that sets the tone. He will need to not over extend himself and gas out because that has happened in the past and this is 12 three minute rounds as opposed to his usual 5 five minute rounds. The idea of a Conor victory is so crazy to some people, however. He would become the biggest star in combat sports immediately. He would essentially be able to do whatever he wants when he wants, of course, the 9 figure paycheck he is expected to receive will make that easy as well. McGregor has a chance to pull off the unthinkable and what has even been considered as impossible to some with a victory over Floyd.
The matchup is so intriguing when it comes to the audience viewing and the media coverage. There is no middle ground on this one. The people who think Floyd will win are staunch in their support, and it is exactly the same on the McGregor side. The majority of people are siding with Floyd and saying that there is just no way that a guy with a (0-0) pro boxing record will be able to strap on 8 oz. gloves and beat a 49-0 Floyd Mayweather. There is always that small chance though when it comes to any fight. That puncher’s chance for a guy who has knocked out many an opponent. There is the chance that the hype is not paid off and we watch Floyd successfully evade the advances of Conor for 12 rounds, and take home another easy victory and multiple hundreds of million dollars and ride off into the sunset. This fight will be the biggest Pay Per View of all time and should eclipse the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight of 2015 that generated 4.6 million Pay Per View buys. Either way, there is no way you should not be viewing this fight no matter the result. This puts the MMA vs boxing on center stage again, and this time it is on boxing’s terms. We’ve seen this before in the UFC when Randy “The Natural” Couture (19-11) took down and pummeled the past his prime James Toney (47-10-3 2NC) at UFC 118. This fight and scenario is so much different.
The boxing and MMA communities will both be tuned in on Saturday night. Each of these guys is carrying the weight of their sport on their shoulders. For Mayweather, it is to maintain the legacy of boxing and to prove the supremacy of their striking is much better than even the highest level Mixed Martial Artist. For McGregor, the pressure is not as high because there is a large contingent that expects him to lose. The real thing here is that McGregor does not want to get embarrassed and have people say that MMA fighters are still nowhere on the level of boxers today. If Floyd wins then everything is status quo and the combat sports community continues to move on, however, if Conor wins the combat sports world will be turned on its head. This is such an exciting event and the journey here has been a long and winding road. This Saturday night we get to finally find out if Floyd still has the magic we’ve seen for 21 years and complete a 50-0 career, but if Conor can shock the world he would cement himself as a legend in the combat sports history books. Prediction: Conor McGregor via TKO.
