White boy McGregor, You Won.

I am really ashamed about how racialized tonight’s Mayweather v. McGregor fight was. I am not the moral compass of this country but it seems that collectively we have an inability to sympathize with underdogs.
Great job to both Mayweather and McGregor. Both played extremely hard. After McGregor ran out of gas, I was praying that he would not get knocked out and would finishe off relatively strong after such a great start. It was of course expected that Mayweather, after saving up his gas, would end up strong, and that he did. Kudos. However, McGregor, for a White boy who fought his first boxing match coming over from the UFC, you did more than well. Quoting my cousin, “It’s like he was dropped in Haiti and expected to debate in creole against a native speaking resident, and yet, he managed to put in a few good sentences.”
In the Fort Lauderdale establishment that I was watching the game in, it was majority Black crowd. I felt really disgusted when all most wanted to see was Mayweather bashing McGregor in. Everytime Mayweather put a lil’ pep in his step, the room soared. Very few people showed respect for the Irish kid or acknowledged his effort. “I’m Black so I have to root for Mayweather,” was the concensus. It is more than okay to root for Mayweather, who frankly is one of the few symbols for Black male greatness, but that does not have to come at the expense of the new kid on the block. We should encourage Connor McGregor to give his best, understanding that a highly competitive match will ultimately strengthen both players and the sport. Instead, many of us prefer to see a one sided victory and humiliation. Perhaps this is why we are divided as a country. Shame on us.
While Mayweather may have remained the undefeated Champ, in my book, you won White boy. You got the defending Champ to become nervous and to come out of his comfort zone for more than a few minutes at a time. You challenged him in a way that he has not (never?) been challenged in a while. You forced him switch up his laissez-faire approach, and you played with his nerves for a bit. Perhaps this will be the match that will encourage him to be more offensive in future events. Or, perhaps this may be the match that sends him into retirement after such a close battle in order to go out on top.
McGrego, though you lost, on an uneven setting, you played your heart out. In a sport that has become all but exciting, you helped to give us something new and refreshing.
And if Mayweather is a real OG, I expect nothing less than a rematch on UFC terms.
