The fight that no one wants to pay for but everyone kind of wants to see, if only to laugh as Floyd Mayweather Jr. beats the stuffing out of Conor McGregor, is Saturday. We all know that this is going to be a shit show of epic proportions. It most likely won’t even be remotely entertaining.
In fact, I believe that McGregor is going to become so frustrated that he will be disqualified. He’s an MMA fighter, not a boxer. He isn’t even close to a boxer. A lower-level boxer with several losses still wouldn’t be an entertaining fight against McGregor because McGregor isn’t a boxer. But let’s count down the top five reasons this fight is going to be a waste of time.
5. Ricky Hatton
Remember Ricky Hatton? Let me refresh your memory: In 2007, Mayweather and Hatton were both undefeated fighters. Hatton was billed as arguably the first great white hype that Mayweather would face. Hatton was an undefeated boxer at 43-0 from Manchester, England, and at the time, Mayweather was 38-0. The fight was billed as “the Undefeated,” and it actually started off competitively until the third round, when a crushing right hand opened a cut above Hatton’s eye. The fight would be stopped in the 10th after a sweet check hook (arguably one of the hardest punches to land in boxing, based on the timing alone) introduced Hatton to the padding around the ropes.
None of this is to discredit Hatton; this is only to say that Hatton was a really good fighter, and he was embarrassed by Mayweather—and “White Mayweather” isn’t even a boxer!
4. Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz is arguably one of the best strikers in MMA. In the first fight between Diaz and McGregor, McGregor fared pretty well and seemed to keep his movement fluid. In the second round, Diaz landed at will, and in the end McGregor tried to take a stand-up fight to the ground and got his ass throughly choked out until he submitted.
See for yourself:
What’s important about this is that while Diaz is one of the best strikers, he isn’t known for avoiding punches. In fact, even Diaz would argue that he’s willing to take six of an opponent’s punches just to land one. Now think about this: Diaz’s punches were loopy wild shots that landed at will; can you imagine the nightmare that McGregor is going to face when dealing with precision punches from a master of the sport? This isn’t going to be pretty.
3. Mayweather Isn’t Human
I’ve been a boxing fan all my life; in fact, when I was young my dad used to referee local boxing matches around Washington, D.C., so I grew up knowing obscure facts about boxers that no one has ever heard of. So when it came to Mayweather, I was well-versed in the family’s history long before he became a sensation. When I say that he’s not human, it’s because he was bred while in the womb to be a fighter. He was literally created like a machine to become who he is today. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., wouldn’t let him eat candy when he was young because he had to watch his weight. Today Jr. is literally one of the few boxers who walk around at their fighting weight.
He didn’t just grow up around boxing; he’s been boxing since before he could walk. He lives and breathes combinations. His uncle Roger once famously said that they don’t watch tapes of fighters because it’s pointless; they just make adjustments inside the ring during the fight. Which is why Mayweather is so difficult to beat. It’s almost impossible for a boxer who has grown up boxing to beat Mayweather; but a man who would list striking as probably the eighth-best thing he does well is going to do this? GTFOH.
2. Mayweather Is Not Old
Since this fight was announced, I’ve heard that Mayweather is 40 and a 40-year-old Mayweather is too old for the 29-year-old Mayweather. We all know that this isn’t true. Hell, Mayweather looks like he’s 16! Has he lost a step? Maybe. But Mayweather could lose 40 steps, one for each year, and still beat the brakes off of White Mayweather. Mayweather’s age is important only for one reason: Mayweather keeps making note of it.
Never forget that Mayweather made his fortune on one thing alone: being the best fighter that everyone hated. This wasn’t accidental. Mayweather changed his persona from an all-American boxer to become “Money Mayweather,” the brash, money-throwing asshole. By mixing a WWE-style persona in with his abilities, he became the moneymaking fighter he is today.
Mayweather clearly knows that this fight isn’t selling, and as the showman that he is, he’s trying to sell the fight. By mentioning his age and how he’s lost a step, he’s trying to encourage folks who know that McGregor has no shot to actually believe that he might. When Mayweather isn’t boasting about how he’s going to destroy his opponent, you have to wonder why not. Mayweather only came out of retirement for this fight, and there’s a reason for that: He knows that this is easy money.
1. The Money Belt
Since this fight was announced, the whole thing has been a shit show. From the horrible press conferences that became more and more vile and racist as they dragged on, to the ridiculous outfits, to the idea that an MMA fighter could really beat the best fighter in professional boxing, the whole thing has been a sham.
Now comes word that the two men will be fighting for a meaningless belt called the “Money Belt.” Seriously, if this isn’t reason enough not to buy this fight, then I don’t know what else is. If you want to see who takes home the money belt, then you probably believe that White Mayweather has a shot and voted for Donald Trump. Yeah, good luck with all that.