The gloves are on!
Durban cashing in money on bout
THE global hype around the much-anticipated fight between Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) titleholder and UFC golden boy, Conor McGregor, versus undefeated boxing icon Floyd Mayweather hit Durban this week.
And it’s set to reach peak fever today, just before the two men step into the ring in Las Vegas in the early hours of tomorrow morning, with Durban betting agencies saying Mayweather is the overwhelming favourite, while other Durbanites are putting their money on McGregor.
Venues which will be staying open for what is expected to be a historic bruising battle have sold out – but there may be standing room. S43 Brewery in Umgeni Road has been booked out by Durban’s boxing and MMA fraternity, while Connor’s Pub in Durban North is also expecting a full house in the early hours.
Yesterday, local MMA instructor Darryl Faught said: “Everybody is talking about this fight.
“McGregor is going in as the underdog, but they will be boxing with smaller gloves and he hits like a sledgehammer. McGregor is also very, very fit. On the other hand, Mayweather has years of boxing behind him and that experience may just count.”
Taking no sides, Faught said he was putting his money on a draw. “I am all for where the money is and I can make the most on a draw.”
Former boxing champ Dingaan Thobela agreed the change to smaller gloves could work in McGregor’s favour.
“If you look at McGregor’s history, he’s done well for himself. It may be the first time he fights as a boxer, but if you look at most of his fights he uses his fists often, so it won’t be a completely new field for him.
“But if I had to put my money on someone winning, it will have to be Mayweather because the fight will be fought on boxing terms,” said Thobela.
On Wednesday the two fighters declared a truce after weeks of vicious verbal attacks, offering praise instead of profanities at the final media conference ahead of their clash.
Since the fight between undefeated boxer Mayweather and mixed martial arts champion McGregor was announced in June, the two men have taken part in a profanity-laced world tour to hype a bout that has been met with both scepticism and excitement.
The restrained tone of Wednesday’s media conference underscored the high stakes of what is expected to be the richest fight in boxing, with McGregor in line for a $100 million (R1.3 billion) payday and Mayweather as much as $200m.
While boxing purists and pundits have denounced the fight as nothing more than a laughable cash grab, it has nonetheless captured the fascination of fans.
Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza said the fight, which will be shown in more than 200 countries, is on pace to smash pay per view records.
Local boxing trainer Damien Durandt said there were a lot of questions around Mayweather and why he had taken on the fight.
“Is it possible that Mayweather can’t handle any of the younger professional boxers any more? No one has asked this question. I think