China not buying ‘superfight’ hype
It’s not the first, and it won’t be the worst.
Saturday’s “superfight” in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor isn’t the first time a boxing champion has squared off against the master of another combat sport — but it’s easily the richest.
With minimum purse guarantees on top of a 60-40 split of worldwide pay-per-view revenue, Mayweather will pocket around $225 million while mixed martial arts champ McGregor will take home at least $100 million.
China, to its credit, is not one of the 160-odd nations linked to the global PPV cash grab that’s selling the event to delusional suckers for an average of $100. That’s no surprise. In 1976, China demonstrated the
This Day, That Year
Item from Aug 25, 1996, in China Daily: Senior machinery industry officials are urging the sector to firmly push forward the openingup policy and absorb more foreign investment for the long term.
Stepped up foreign cooperation will help temper the industry and make it more competitive.
Manufacturing upgrading has become a huge trend in China in recent years, and progress has been impressive, same wisdom by declining to join the closed-circuit network for Muhammad Ali versus Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki, in what was breathlessly billed as: “War of the Worlds — for the undisputed martial arts championship of planet Earth!”
The script for the Tokyo charade called for Ali to initially pummel his smaller opponent, who would then claim an improbable victory after ‘The Greatest’ ran out of gas. But Inoki, whose fear was palpable, flat out refused to fight. Instead, he lay in the middle of the ring, content to deliver kicks to Ali’s legs. After 15 tedious rounds, it was declared a draw.
On the same show, 7-foot-1 wrestler Andre the Giant heaved former Ali opponent Chuck Wepner (Sylvester Stallone’s inspiration for the Rocky movies) two rows into the crowd, gaining belated revenge for a 1940 spectacle that saw Jack Dempsey return to the on the back of Made in China 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Machinery manufacturers’ revenue is expected to grow 8 percent to 27 trillion yuan ($4 trillion) this year, the China Machinery Industry Federation estimated.
In the first half of this year, exports of domestic products such as automobiles, construction machinery and equipment for mining, drilling and the power industry grew nearly 7 percent yearon-year to $193.5 billion, ring at age 45 to deliver a quick KO to wrestling champ Clarence Luttrell.
The MMA versus boxing debate started with Bruce Lee fans, who convinced themselves that the Chinese-American karate king, who portrayed Kato in the 1960s Green Hornet TV series, could demolish any boxer on the planet. But Lee was too smart to take that bait because he was fully aware that pugilists who gravitated to kick boxing easily knocked out karate experts — a fact that eventually forced new rules.
The most famous boxing/ MMA mismatch was in 2009, when former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer came out of retirement at age 48 to face twotime UFC titleholder Tim Sylvia, under MMA rules. It took all of nine seconds for Mercer to KO the 29-yearold Sylvia with a single overhand right.
Saturday’s bout is being fought under boxing rules, according to the federation.
Their imports increased almost 12 percent to $142.7 billion.
The Belt and Road Initiative will continue to act as a driver to boost revenue growth of both foreign and Chinese companies.
The construction machinery segment will continue to grow robustly in the second half of this year, thanks to China’s ongoing railroad, highway and airport projects which means McGregor — who has never boxed professionally — is prohibited from using kicks, takedowns or other MMA moves. Much has been made of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s decision to allow 8-ounce gloves, but that’s no big deal. The lighter mitts won’t magically transform McGregor into a fearsome puncher, and Mayweather knows how to absorb a solid shot better than any boxer of his generation.
My guess is that after a round or two of preening, punching and posturing, it will lapse into a snooze fest until the 40-year-old Mayweather decides to lower the boom … or the 29-yearold McGregor is disqualified.
Either way, it seems not many Chinese fight fans give a damn — which only shows how smart they are.
Contact the writer at murraygreig@ chinadaily.com.cn in lower-tier cities as well as urbanization.
Growth opportunities will also come from the increasing demand for excavators, bulldozers, pipe-layers, road rollers and wheel loaders in markets such as Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Brazil.