Mayweather-McGregor Didn't Disappoint
I went into last night's Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight with very low expectations. I tried not to buy into the hype machine that had been building for months. I'd even joked that Miguel Cabrera and Austin Romine going at it during Thursday's Yankees-Tigers game might've been the best fight of the week when it went down.
However, I came out of last night's bout pleasantly surprised. I went in expecting something similar to the Mayweather-Pacquiao snooze fest from a couple years ago. Instead what we witnessed was actually a pretty good fight, especially considering McGregor had never boxed professionally prior.
McGregor came out the aggressor as I fully expected he would. I felt like for him to win he really had to go after Floyd early, hope that he could surprise him with a big punch and knock him out. The first four rounds of the fight this looked like it might actually have a chance of happening as McGregor peppered Mayweather with jabs. Mayweather even looked a bit slower than normal and one began to wonder if age had started to catch up with him a bit.
Unfortunately, for McGregor, who was never really able to land any huge punches and really hurt Floyd early, his opportunity had passed. Mayweather wasn't 49-0 going into the fight for no reason. He patiently studied the larger, more aggressive McGregor and plotted his course. As the fight wore you could see the fight start to turn as Mayweather became more aggressive. It became clear that Mayweather knew exactly what he was doing. Experience was going to win out.
In his MMA career McGregor had never fought a match longer than 25 minutes. Meanwhile 12 round boxing matches are 36 minute wars of attrition. Mayweather knew this and played it perfectly. Almost like clockwork McGregor began to noticeably tire around 25 minutes in during the ninth round. He survived the ninth but had no chance of getting out of the tenth as Mayweather smelled blood and went all in. The ref had to stop the fight via TKO but in the end it was a fight that didn't disappoint.
McGregor came out the loser but can certainly walk away with his pride and some newly gained respect in boxing circles for his performance. Meanwhile Mayweather was able to reach the fabled 50-0 mark and prove yet again why he's the greatest pound for pound fighter of his generation. As a casual boxing fan I came away entertained but also glad that the fight wasn't an utter disappointment like some overhyped bouts turn out to be. In the end, I guess Cabrera Romine wasn't the best fight of the week after all.
However, I came out of last night's bout pleasantly surprised. I went in expecting something similar to the Mayweather-Pacquiao snooze fest from a couple years ago. Instead what we witnessed was actually a pretty good fight, especially considering McGregor had never boxed professionally prior.
McGregor came out the aggressor as I fully expected he would. I felt like for him to win he really had to go after Floyd early, hope that he could surprise him with a big punch and knock him out. The first four rounds of the fight this looked like it might actually have a chance of happening as McGregor peppered Mayweather with jabs. Mayweather even looked a bit slower than normal and one began to wonder if age had started to catch up with him a bit.
Unfortunately, for McGregor, who was never really able to land any huge punches and really hurt Floyd early, his opportunity had passed. Mayweather wasn't 49-0 going into the fight for no reason. He patiently studied the larger, more aggressive McGregor and plotted his course. As the fight wore you could see the fight start to turn as Mayweather became more aggressive. It became clear that Mayweather knew exactly what he was doing. Experience was going to win out.
In his MMA career McGregor had never fought a match longer than 25 minutes. Meanwhile 12 round boxing matches are 36 minute wars of attrition. Mayweather knew this and played it perfectly. Almost like clockwork McGregor began to noticeably tire around 25 minutes in during the ninth round. He survived the ninth but had no chance of getting out of the tenth as Mayweather smelled blood and went all in. The ref had to stop the fight via TKO but in the end it was a fight that didn't disappoint.
McGregor came out the loser but can certainly walk away with his pride and some newly gained respect in boxing circles for his performance. Meanwhile Mayweather was able to reach the fabled 50-0 mark and prove yet again why he's the greatest pound for pound fighter of his generation. As a casual boxing fan I came away entertained but also glad that the fight wasn't an utter disappointment like some overhyped bouts turn out to be. In the end, I guess Cabrera Romine wasn't the best fight of the week after all.
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