The idea of getting Floyd Mayweather out of retirement, more so by a UFC MMA (Mixed Martial Art) fighter and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, seemed to limit the scratch to only social media, much to the enjoyment of the fans who followed the two bout it out in an exchange of words.
Now things just got real because it was announced on Wednesday that on Aug. 26, the two will fight it out in a much hyped boxing match in Las Vegas.
It gets as real as both fighters expecting to earn up to $100m, most likely more for the American pound for pound unbeaten boxer because there is no money without the M-ayweather.
But there is a split in the two careers the obvious one being that 40-year-old Mayweather, who rubbished aside the idea of the pair meeting in a UFC event firmly stating “a real man fights standing up”, is up against a non professional boxer who doesn’t even have amateurish experience, not forgetting his 100%, 49-0 record wins. He may well possibly be the best defensive fighter in the history of the sport.
Nevertheless, 28-year-old McGregor was granted a boxing license in California last November and while he is fierce in the cage, the ropes may outline a whole different terrain, much to his disadvantage.
Or so that’s what most of the boxing world has concluded. Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, a two-time world champion whose only loss in 51 fights against Mayweather in 2013, in the words of Oscar de la Hoya, called it a “circus and a joke”.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”It’s hurting the sport of boxing. It’s a big circus and a joke because when a fighter from boxing gets into MMA (mixed martial arts) or a fighter from MMA gets into boxing, it’s just a big joke. People don’t take it seriously,”[/perfectpullquote]
he said
Mayweather’s age and nearly two years out of the ring is still no cause for panic against a vibrant fighter because MMA is not boxing.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I don’t give McGregor a chance. Him boxing Floyd doesn’t make it interesting. If he fought with MMA rules and Floyd boxing, now that would have been interesting.[/perfectpullquote]
“Now that would have genuine intrigue and we’d wonder who is going to win but right now it’s like this [squashing motion] but with those rules it’d be totally different,” Mike Tyson said.
The rules, style, skills don’t apply on either side of the ring something all too familiar to Australian MMA legend, John WAYNE Parr who mad a transition into professional boxing.
“I think it’s very difficult for Conor, Moving the fight closer to August it shortens McGregor’s time to improve his boxing skills, so it’s an advantage for Mayweather.”
“It’s completely different, it’s like playing tennis and playing squash,” Wayne Parr said.
For some MMA fighters, ‘Boxing is a breeze’ because of the toll it takes on the body.
“He has incredible power, a power that nobody else has – I’ve never seen anyone hit that hard,” said Russia’s Artem Lobov, who has fought McGregor.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”MMA is so much more demanding on the body – the wrestling, the changing levels, all that takes a lot out of you. Boxing is a breeze for us after MMA.[/perfectpullquote]
“If you look at Mayweather’s fights, he often likes to get into the clinch, but what is a boxer in a clinch against a wrestler, an MMA fighter? Boxers are absolute novices in the clinch.
“Get a boxer and get him wrestling for a minute or two – the arms get so heavy, filled with blood, they can’t even hold them up any more, they can’t box.”
https://twitter.com/sledskillz/status/875343988424929280
Can McGregor box or will Mayweather make light work of his opponent?
Featured Photo: Getty Images
