Martial arts vs. boxing bout stirs up fans from both realms

Pittsburgh-based MMA promotion Pinnacle Fighting Championships.

There are two possible results, according to Leyshock. Mayweather-McGregor could bring the boxing and MMA communities closer together or divide them more than they already are.

Leyshock said many hardcore boxing fans are against MMA, mostly because of the wrestling aspect of the sport.

But when you take the best mixed martial artist and put him up against the best boxer, fans from both sides of the discussion become interested.

“If you don’t have any kind of weird agenda, it’s hard to argue that it’s not interesting at least,” he said.

“You’d at least want to know what the results are.”

McGregor, the only fighter to hold belts in two Ultimate Fighting Championship divisions simultaneously, enters with a bit of a disadvantage.

The fight, set for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will follow traditional boxing rules and take place at 154 pounds. McGregor has never boxed professionally.

“[McGregor’s] one punch away from being worth nothing,” Leyshock said.

McGregor has his critics when it comes to the boxing ring, but last week his agent had a message for such naysayers.

“Keep doubting us. We love it,” Audie Attar said in an interview Friday with Sports News Television, according to The Associated Press.

“The human element of sport is that anything can happen.”

The man on the other end of McGregor’s gloves, however, also has a lot to fight for.

After all, Mayweather holds a 49-0 professional record and is coming out of a nearly two-year retirement hoping to make it 50-0.

Leyshock said Mayweather will “look really sharp” and should outbox McGregor 10 of 12 rounds without suffering any damage. He said McGregor, who will be 29 by the time the fight rolls around, should be worrying about not “losing embarrassingly” to the 40year-old Mayweather.

“McGregor thinks he’s going to shock the world,” Leyshock said.

A McGregor win would be a shock according to Las Vegas.

Oddsmakers made Mayweather an 11-1 favorite shortly after the fight was announced. But ESPN reported Sunday that at some casinos, while more money has been placed on Mayweather, more actual bets had been taken in favor of McGregor.

A lot can change, including injuries, in the two months between now and Aug. 26, but one thing is certain in the boxing and MMA communities.

“Everybody’s talking about it,” Leyshock said.