McGregor, Mayweather ready to rumble
LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has been kept pretty much under wraps ever since his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was announced, emerging occasionally to trash Mayweather only to disappear again behind the closed doors of the UFC training center.
It’s not by accident. The biggest selling point of the spectacle that is Saturday night’s 154-pound fight is the unknown.
Is McGregor good enough to land a big punch on Mayweather? Did he acquire enough boxing skills in just a few short months to make what should be a lopsided fight competitive?
Inquiring minds want to know, and there are enough of them to make this the most-watched fight in history. Some 50 million people in the U.S. alone are expected to gather with friends and family to see it all unfold.
“I’m already the king of fighting,” McGregor crowed. “I’ll soon be the king of boxing.”
Not so fast, said Mayweather, who comes from a boxing family and famously began throwing punches before he could walk.
“After 21 years I’ve been hit with everything and I’m still right here,” Mayweather said. “If you give it you must be able to take it.”
McGregor’s fan base is driving this fight, united in their fervent hope that the Irish UFC champion can muscle Mayweather around the ring and deliver knockout punches to his head. Sports books in this gambling city have taken so many longshot wagers on McGregor winning by a knockout early that they will suffer their worst loss ever should it actually happen.
What should be a 100-1 fight began as 11-1 in Mayweather’s favor. Now it’s 5-1, though a lot of big money including a few million-dollar bets has been wagered on Mayweather in recent days.
McGregor has youth on his side (he’s 29 and Mayweather is 40), and he’ll probably go in the ring much heavier than Mayweather after rehydrating following Friday’s weigh-in. He
“I gave my word to my children and once I did that it came to an end. What better way to go out than with a bang.”
—Floyd Mayweather Jr.
also has a reputation as a big puncher and the prevailing wisdom is he’ll try to maul Mayweather much like Marcos Maidana did in their 2014 fight.
Other than that, everything favors Mayweather.
He’s unbeaten in 49 fights as a pro and has a chance to pass Rocky Marciano on the perfect record list with win No. 50. Not only has he beaten every fighter put in front of him but he’s found ways to deal with big punchers such as Miguel Cotto, Diego Corrales and Canelo Alvarez.
Mayweather has said this will be definitely be his last fight, and he wants to go out with a dominating performance.
“I gave my word to my children and once I did that it came to an end,” Mayweather said. “What better way to go out than with a bang.”