26 August 2017
AGE | 40 |
HEIGHT | 5'8" |
REACH | 72" |
WEIGHT | 150lb |
FROM | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
You can count the number of times on one hand that an opponent has hurt Floyd Mayweather. His “Philly Shell” is regarded as an impregnable defence.
Floyd's decades of experience in boxing may prove significant against Conor. Many of Floyd’s previous opponents now praise Floyd for his expert ring generalship.
AGE | 29 |
HEIGHT | 5'9" |
REACH | 74" |
WEIGHT | 155lb |
FROM | Dublin, Ireland |
Conor McGregor's primary weapon, the southpaw straight left hand, is regarded as the "Touch of Death" and is the most feared strike in all of mixed martial arts.
Conor McGregor's awkwardness makes it near impossible for an opponent to anticipate his striking and movement. How will a traditional boxer adapt to his unusual style?
You can count the number of times on one hand that an opponent has hurt Floyd Mayweather. His “Philly Shell” is regarded as an impregnable defence.
Floyd's decades of experience in boxing may prove significant against Conor. Many of Floyd’s previous opponents now praise Floyd for his expert ring generalship.
Conor McGregor's primary weapon, the southpaw straight left hand, is regarded as the "Touch of Death" and is the most feared strike in all of mixed martial arts.
Conor McGregor's awkwardness makes it near impossible for an opponent to anticipate his striking and movement. How will a traditional boxer adapt to his unusual style?
Fighter info | Fighter info | |
---|---|---|
40 | AGE | 29 |
5'8" | HEIGHT | 5'9" |
72" | REACH | 74" |
150lb | WEIGHT | 155lb |
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | FROM | Dublin, Ireland |
After years of trash-talking and constant speculation, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather will attempt to improve his record to 50-0 as he stands toe-to-toe with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor on August 26 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
While the idea of a crossover between boxing and mixed martial arts seemed like lunacy, Floyd Mayweather has always been a focal point of these conversations. Comparing Floyd Mayweather with the current list of mixed martial artists was always intended with respect, as Mayweather is the pound-for-pound greatest boxer of the modern era and the undisputed king of pay-per-view.
When Ronda Rousey was destroying everyone in her path, people started to compare the athletes at the top of these two respective sports. Would Floyd Mayweather have competed against Ronda Rousey in a mixed martial arts contest? Of course not. But, what if a mixed martial artist crossed over to boxing to compete with him?
Enter Conor McGregor. A man who has achieved more in three years than anyone else in the twenty-year history of the UFC. McGregor was calling Floyd’s name out way back in 2015, claiming that ‘he would kill Mayweather in less than thirty seconds.’ At the time, it seemed unlikely that the two would ever meet – Conor McGregor wasn’t even a champion in his own sport. Just two years later, and McGregor has defeated the greatest Featherweight champion in MMA history in just 13 seconds and made history when he became the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC.
What seemed unrealistic started to become a real possibility as McGregor stamped himself as the UFC’s own pay-per-view king. A contest between McGregor and Mayweather, two major pay-per-view attractions was simply too difficult to resist.
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Unsurprisingly, ‘The Money Fight’ has proved to be controversial
From a boxing perspective, Oscar De La Hoya is furious because ‘The Money Fight’ seems to have intentionally been scheduled just weeks before the super-fight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. Golovkin vs. Alvarez is one of the most anticipated boxing matches in recent years, and the scheduling of Mayweather vs. McGregor may very well eat into the pay-per-view buys of the event.
Elsewhere, leading boxing journalists are completely dismissive of the fight. Dan Rafael of ESPN and many others believe that it’s a dishonour to the sport that Mayweather is reaching the 50-0 milestone against Conor McGregor, who is making his boxing debut. Some boxing journalists even have concern for McGregor’s safety. In December 2016, Dan Rafael reported that a commission would have trouble to approve such a dangerous mismatch.
While Conor McGregor’s fans will gladly be supporting the Irishman come August 26, there are a significant number of MMA fans who would prefer to see Conor McGregor defend his UFC lightweight title. There are numerous top contenders waiting in line for a shot at McGregor and the lightweight championship, most notably Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the division is now on hold for the spectacle that is Mayweather vs. McGregor.