“The appeal is simple: sheer, stupid, ridiculous spectacle.”
June 17, 2017 4:25 PM   Subscribe

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Conor McGregor [Deadspin] “It’s really happening. McGregor vs. Mayweather is actually a reality. The fight is like a nightmare emerging from a fever dream where the walls are papered with $100 bills, the carpet is made of the finest chinchilla fur, and you wake yourself up by stepping painfully on a discarded diamond ring instead of one of your kid’s discarded Legos. Let’s address the elephant in the room. Does McGregor, who hasn’t had an actual boxing match since he was a teenager, have a shot at beating a past-his-prime great? Yes, he has a shot. McGregor hits really, really hard, and chins don’t get better with age.”
posted by Fizz (36 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
One bet that I'll place: The fight itself will be very boring. They're both counterpunchers who wait for the fighter they're facing to make a mistake. There'll be a lot of waiting in this fight.
posted by clawsoon at 4:52 PM on June 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


UFC is hoping McGregor will lure Mayweather into joining up after.

Can't wait to see pretty boy Floyd with cauliflower ear
posted by butterstick at 5:08 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


I don't see how this can end in a satisfying manner for McGregor:
- If he wins, great he beat up a dude 12 years his senior
- If he loses, it's to one of the greatest boxers of his generation

I don't think Mayweather cares as long as he is getting paid, this is a non-sanctioned fight so his record will be preserved.
posted by PenDevil at 5:16 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


McGregor would collect a huge payday and lay claim to being the only person to defeat Mayweather.

For Floyd it's an easy payday and he isn't going to want a loss in this stupid match tarnishing his record, sanctioned or not.
posted by The Hamms Bear at 5:24 PM on June 17, 2017 [6 favorites]


I love sheer stupid, ridiculous spectacle. I can't wait. Is it bound to be a boring letdown, a la the Pacquiao/Mayweather "Fight of the Century"? Absolutely. But I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
posted by stellaluna at 5:31 PM on June 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


There is exactly one silver lining to this fight: no matter what, an asshole will lose. The only question is whether it's the self-promoting loudmouth with or without the confirmed history of domestic violence.
posted by googly at 5:31 PM on June 17, 2017 [13 favorites]


Mayweather's going to knock him into the middle of next month. But they'll both make a lot more money than I'll ever see so who am I to judge?
posted by fshgrl at 5:33 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


McGregor is going to do a lot of illegal fighting moves that wear Mayweather down but Mayweather is going to win.

That's my prediction. I'm not going to follow the actual event.
posted by hippybear at 5:36 PM on June 17, 2017


fshgrl; Mayweather's going to knock him into the middle of next month.

Mayweather has had hand problems for a while now, hasn't he? I can't remember the last time he knocked anybody out inside the ring.
posted by clawsoon at 5:38 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


I hate myself for having an interest in old school boxing. There's something about it that I just enjoy. But it's very problematic. The violence, the money, the exploitation, the physical/mental/emotional damage that is being inflicted on these two humans. And yes, they choose to do this but it's still such an awful thing. It's this slow burn car crash that I cannot help but want to watch. Makes me feel very conflicted.
posted by Fizz at 5:52 PM on June 17, 2017 [6 favorites]


Oh yeah, this was the last time Mayweather knocked someone out. "Protect yourselves at all times," indeed...
posted by clawsoon at 6:02 PM on June 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


I'm glad that Maura Ranallo is calling it. He deserves all the best after being bullied out of the WWE by a bigoted troglodyte.
posted by bootlegpop at 6:07 PM on June 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


Mayweather owns his own promotion firm. He makes his money twice over from his fights now - his purse plus the promoter's take of the TV money. He's going to make a(nother) fortune from this fight.
posted by thecjm at 6:11 PM on June 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


How would Usain Bolt do if he entered a marathon against Olympic marathoners with world record times? That is how stupid this is. People comparing this Mayweather Pacquio or any other real boxing fight don't get it.

Look up the Mayweather Gatti fight on YouTube to see what Mayweather can do against someone who is not in his class. And Gatti was an actual boxer.

If this "fight" goes on for any length of time, it's because there is an agreement and Mayweather is carrying him.
posted by eagles123 at 6:19 PM on June 17, 2017 [6 favorites]


Even money that one of the fighters gets disqualified for using a steel chair.
posted by delfin at 6:27 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


That's pro wrestling not MMA or boxing.

McGregor is used to using moves that aren't boxing moves. If he can retrain himself, then great, but can he? That's the question in my mind.
posted by hippybear at 6:30 PM on June 17, 2017


Look up the Mayweather Gatti fight on YouTube to see what Mayweather can do against someone who is not in his class. And Gatti was an actual boxer.

Agreed that this is stupidly mismatched, but Gatti was 12 years ago. Other than Ortiz and Hatton, all of Mayweather's fights since then have gone 12 rounds. I don't think Mayweather can do what he did to Gatti anymore.
posted by clawsoon at 6:31 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


Chris van Heerden explains why he released viral video of him sparring with Conor McGregor
Van Heerden explained to ESPN on Friday why he released the video, which has since gone viral and been something of a banner to wave for those criticizing the Mayweather-McGregor fight.

“Because people are tweeting and talking and telling me that Mayweather has his hands full landing on Conor McGregor,” Van Heerden said. “I’m a professional fighter — boxer. And I’m standing up for the sport. I was just making it very clear that, don’t be ridiculous. If I could land, don’t tell me Floyd Mayweather is not gonna land.”
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:01 PM on June 17, 2017 [7 favorites]


I think the fight will be boring as shit. Boxing in general is boring as shit compared to MMA. There's a tie up every 30 seconds in boxing, and in MMA you generally don't want to tie up with a man. I'll like to see the first few times Mayweather tries to tie up McGregor and see if McGregor doesn't reflexively throw a knee or try to take him down.

McGregor has hard heavy hands, but both fighters are counter punchers, Mayweather far more then McGregor. The gloves mean a lot too. MMA gloves are 4 oz and allow for far quicker and harder hits. I wonder how 14-16 oz gloves affect a punch. As in speed or delivery or impact.

I know MMA has light gloves for Jiu Jitsu and ground game, but heavy boxing gloves have much more cushion. McGregor, used to landing heavy handed punches on a chin might see that knockout blow just be just another punch in bigger boxing gloves.

More then anything I'm looking forward to the trash talking leading up to the fight. It's going to be at epic levels. I can't imagine the cash on this one, each fighter has to be making $100mill minimum. It's probably much more.
posted by sanka at 7:57 PM on June 17, 2017 [3 favorites]


Here's a half-baked theory I have: The one fighter who would've had more than a chance with Mayweather was Amir Khan. Yes, Mayweather beat Alvarez and Alvarez beat Khan, but styles make fights and I think Khan has the reach and speed to score points on Mayweather. He doesn't have to fight on the inside, where Mayweather can clinch him, in order to land punches. Khan has a weak chin, but Mayweather has weak hands.

I think it would be an interesting fight, anyway. Probably better than Mayweather-McGregor.
posted by clawsoon at 8:19 PM on June 17, 2017


You would have to go back to the 80's to find a fighter that would challenge Mayweather imho. SRL because of his athleticism and technique. Hearns because of his freakish size at 147. Duran depending on where he was mentally in terms of training and his preparation.
posted by eagles123 at 9:26 PM on June 17, 2017


McGregor has hard heavy hands, but both fighters are counter punchers, Mayweather far more then McGregor. The gloves mean a lot too. MMA gloves are 4 oz and allow for far quicker and harder hits. I wonder how 14-16 oz gloves affect a punch.

I read this and googled it and they are fighting in an actual boxing match with boxing rules? McGregor's going to die. I thought it was an MMA type bout. I doubt he'd even beat a good amateur, he's not a boxer.
posted by fshgrl at 11:54 PM on June 17, 2017 [3 favorites]


It's just simple algebra, isn't it? Mayweather = McGregor/2, since you're taking half of McGregor's tools away from right from the beginning. Maybe if he was allowed to kick, even padded, I could see this being a more realistically weighted fight but without his legs, nah, not so much.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 1:27 AM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


Oh yeah, this yt was the last time Mayweather knocked someone out. "Protect yourselves at all times," indeed...

Wow! Mayweather is scum, and boxing is a scummy racket, but that? That I think is the single worst thing I gave ever seen a fighter do in the ring. What a vile, vile, swaybacked little goat huffing stale turd he is. I wish McGregor had a chance, because to see someone pound Mayweather into nothingness would be wonderful.
*and yes, i am not proud of this sentiment*
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 1:38 AM on June 18, 2017 [2 favorites]


That I think is the single worst thing I gave ever seen a fighter do in the ring.

I don't offer any views as to their comparative merits, but it's not dissimilar to a KO earlier this month between Murthel Groenhart and Harut Grigorian. (That said, at least Grigorian wasn't apologising to Groenhart when he was blindsided...)
posted by a very present absence at 2:50 AM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


I'd be much more excited to see McGregor/Aldo 2 (at 155 please!), McGregor/Ferguson (the reach!), McGregor/Nurmagamedov (the dramatic roll of the dice!), or the impossible McGregor/Holloway 2 than this ridiculousness. Setting aside dream wishes, this summer has Cormier getting his second shot at Jones, the next crucible for jiujitsu in Woodley/Maia, and other more interesting match-ups than this freak fight. But if this less-relevant, less-sensical, probably-less-competitive fight comes to fruition it'll still be interesting to see it play out.

Also, a quibble:
chins don’t get better with age
"Chin" declines with taking a lot of shots, which Mayweather has not. Reflexes, which Mayweather does rely upon quite a bit, decline with age.

Finally,
That I think is the single worst thing I gave ever seen a fighter do in the ring.
Setting aside Tyson's appetite for earlobes, the intentional illegal headbutt was worse to me than the legal KO punches that followed. I sympathize quite a bit with not wanting to be forced to accept empty apologies and hugs when we're supposed to be throwing hands. Mayweather touched gloves and made it clear that he wanted no part of hugs and talking it out. Fault lies with Ortiz for standing around like the fight wasn't back on.
posted by daveliepmann at 2:56 AM on June 18, 2017 [6 favorites]


I read somewhere that they would be using 10 oz. gloves.
posted by Bee'sWing at 5:29 AM on June 18, 2017


The Ortiz fight wasn't a high point of Mayweather's career, but it was clean and fair. Ortiz went with a headbutt and was clowning around in the aftermath when he got popped.

This fight is going to be a trainwreck but I'll probably still watch.
posted by so fucking future at 7:15 AM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


I figured Ortiz knew how much Mayweather likes hugging in the ring. For once, Mayweather was not true to type.
posted by clawsoon at 10:34 AM on June 18, 2017


i pray no one here pays money to watch this

I wouldn't pay what they're asking, but I mind try to find a bar that's playing it.
posted by jonmc at 11:00 AM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


We are definitely watching this, mostly to laugh. I won't be ordering it but I'll chip in with beer or snacks or whatever.

I'm an atheist but feel free to pray for my sins if it makes you feel better. I'm only somewhat offended by it.
posted by fshgrl at 12:35 PM on June 18, 2017


Don't worry, the whole fight will be .gif'd by the time you wake up the next morning.
posted by Etrigan at 12:38 PM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


Going to be a boring fight. Wild swings that do not connect and plenty of jabs that score but doesn't do much else.
posted by asra at 12:55 PM on June 18, 2017


Is it impossible for McGregor to have trained a long time for this? I mean, they've been talking about this fight for a long time.
posted by gucci mane at 1:59 PM on June 18, 2017


Is it impossible for McGregor to have trained a long time for this?
He's had his hands full the last few years developing his MMA skillset to win the interim featherweight belt, the unified featherweight belt, the lightweight belt, and to beat Nate Diaz. That involved training punching (specifically punching-for-MMA, a different skill), but also defending and getting up from takedowns by an elite wrestle-boxer like Chad Mendes, establishing jiujitsu skill at the level necessary to compete with Cesar Gracie protégé Nate Diaz, and developing an eye for whether someone with the versatility of Jose Aldo or Rafael dos Anjos is throwing a punch, a head kick, a leg kick, a level change for a takedown, a knee, or going for an upper body clinch. On top of all that he has been developing ringcraft, timing, and footwork for his MMA game, which centers around his beautiful left straight (highly relevant in boxing) and involves carefully-chosen uppercuts, but which also includes boxing-illegal stuff like his low side kick, leg kicks, front snap kicks, and his left spinning back kick, all of which he relies upon heavily to set up his left straight. There's just so much material to cover in MMA.

Plus, you know, Mayweather's previous opponents trained boxing for a long time too, and a fat lot of good it did them. Watch the van Heerden sparring video to be reminded that McGregor is an incredible MMA striker, but absolutely not a world-beater elite professional boxer. From the van Heerden article a man of twists and turns linked above, the #11 WBA welterweight boxer said:
“Yes, [McGregor] has a slight chance of pulling it off. He’s a fighter, he’s a mixed martial artist. He can land one big punch. It can happen. This is fighting, it’s two men in the ring. The opportunity is there. He doesn’t have a zero chance of beating or causing the biggest upset in the sport. Yes, he has. In my opinion and I’m gonna stick by it and I’m not afraid to say it, there’s no way he’s beating Mayweather."
Consider also Jack Slack's words when thinking about, say, McGregor's amazing KO on Aldo:
It's never good to look too much into sparring footage, but you will notice that in McGregor's sparring sessions with experienced boxers he is much less effective with the back-skipping left hand because boxers are taught to stay on top of their stance and not to reach, they also show plenty of feints which make it more difficult for McGregor spot their intentions.
That was true against the #11. How much more true is it against the longtime undefeated multi-champion of impeccable defense?

With that context in mind, we're back at a concise view of this absurd match: Knockout artists always have a striker's chance. But... :/
posted by daveliepmann at 2:48 PM on June 18, 2017 [4 favorites]


edeezy: i pray no one here pays money to watch this

Amen. Save your money for Golovkin-Alvarez in September. It'll be less of a pop culture event, but it'll be a much better (and more meaningful) fight.
posted by clawsoon at 8:05 PM on June 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


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