Some are calling it “the biggest fight of the century,” others are referring to it as “the money fight.”
Regardless of what you decide to call it, one thing is for certain: a fight like this has never taken place before.
The biggest name in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), 29 year old “The Notorious” Conor McGregor, is making his boxing debut on Saturday, August 26th by taking on the biggest name in boxing, 40 year old, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., who currently has a record of 49-0 and looking to improve it to 50-0 by the end of the week.
This bout will be housed in the T-Mobile arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada and it is completely obvious that it is more about money-making spectacle than it is about the actual sport.
McGregor, 21-3, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Champion, as well as, reigning UFC Lightweight Champion of the World and only person to ever hold two UFC titles at once, is going to box professionally for the first time on Saturday.
Skeptics all over the world are saying that he has no chance against one of the best boxers of all time, saying there is no way McGregor can transition from MMA into boxing and compete, let alone beat Mayweather.
McGregor embraces the challenge and gets momentum from his critics, saying, “When I hear their disrespect, I use it as motivation and I look forward to going in and educating them.”
He gets that he is coming into a new sport but he is looking forward to earning respect in boxing as well.
Although McGregor is very confident in his ability, the odds are against him, even in Vegas betting odds are 40/1 on him winning.
McGregor is used to having the odds against him, collecting a $250 welfare check from the Irish government just days before his first professional fight in 2013, soon after his career took off.
However, he doesn’t forget where he came from and what he has overcome to be where he is today.
This fight has sparked a lot of hype, especially since Mayweather and McGregor went on a 4 day, 3 country press tour, starting in Los Angeles, moving to Toronto, then New York and finally finishing in London.
With each city, the insults seemed to escalate, the language grew more immature and the material ended up being embarrassing and just plain unfortunate for both men.
To make things even more interesting, this week the Nevada State Athletic Commission allowed both men to fight in 8oz gloves instead of 10oz gloves, ignoring advice from the Association of Ringside Physicians.
This will increase the chance of McGregor landing a knockout punch on Mayweather, but it also makes the fight a lot more dangerous.
Whoever’s side you are on, the upcoming fight between McGregor and Mayweather seems to be more about entertainment, money and fame, than actual sport.
Putting an MMA fighter up against one of the best boxers of all time, making it more dangerous and going on a tour that was all about who could land the best insult, is changing the game of boxing in a way no one has seen before.
One thing is for certain, for better or for worse, we will see on Saturday if we like the way the game is changing one way or the other.
