Lure of greenbacks

The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight is on. It took a while to get going, beginning with a seemingly innocuous statement the Mixed Martial Arts practitioner made in a talk show two years ago. “I would box him if the opportunity arose,” he said of his would-be opponent then. Yet, even as all the trash talking and the counting of proceeds — estimated to rival those of the Money and Manny meeting that germinated the idea in the first place — kept the potential tiff in the news, it looked to be a pipe dream. Until it wasn’t.

Not that the outcome should be in any doubt. For all the skills McGregor brings to the table, he has absolutely no professional boxing experience to speak of. Sure, he’s 12 years younger, and the 154-pound catch weight figures to serve him in good stead. On the other hand, he’ll be going up against Mayweather, who just so happens to be the most technically proficient and defensively savvy boxer in the last generation, and perhaps of all time. He can’t use anything but his hands — okay, maybe his head, once in a while — to deliver blows, and he’ll find most of these stunted by the competition’s excellent footwork and posture.

Why then, will the fight push through? Only one reason: the lure of greenbacks. It’s what prompted McGregor to think about angling for it, and it’s what convinced Mayweather to give it the green light. And they’re on the mark in their assessment; once the spectacle — and it is, in the final analysis, a spectacle — becomes history and receipts are reckoned with, their paychecks will reflect the desired number of zeros.

Make no mistake, though. Outside of the Mayweather and McGregor camps, and, yes, of those who like to gamble, no one will be watching the bout with any skin on the outcome. Which is sad, really, because all the sport has underscored in promoting what essentially amounts to a joke is its barbaric roots. Oh, well; what else is new? It has long been built on constant promise and occasional performance. It’s now like pro wrestling, only worse; at

least the other doesn’t deny the premise of fakery.

Outside of the Mayweather and McGregor camps, and, yes, of those who like to gamble, no one will be watching the bout with any skin on the outcome. Which is sad, really, because all the sport has underscored in promoting what essentially amounts to a joke is its barbaric roots. Oh, well; what else is new? It has long been built on constant promise and occasional performance. It’s now like pro wrestling, only worse; at least the other doesn’t deny the premise of fakery.