Why Mayweather let McGregor dominate the first 3 rounds

Aurko Mahapatra
Aug 27, 2017 · 3 min read

American boxer Floyd Mayweather beat Irish MMA fighter turned boxer Conor McGregor in 10 rounds by tactical knockout

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By the time we reached Round 9, it was a practice sparring session for Mayweather as he landed punches at will on the Irishman. But for the initial rounds of the fight, McGregor dominated the American to the surprise of fans and critics alike. This phenomenon, however, was not because of McGregor’s abilities as a boxer, but rather because Mayweather allowed it to happen…

Understanding McGregor

Preparation is everything in sports, and professionals spend hours studying footage of their opponents, in a bid to understand their style of play and anticipating their moves real-time in the match; just as McGregor would have done for Mayweather. However, the same couldn’t be done in reverse, as McGregor has never featured in a professional boxing match before. Therefore, as Mayweather admitted after the match, he used the first 3 rounds to study McGregor’s style of boxing, and hence understand how to counter it in the rounds to come.

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Mental and Physical Exhaustion

Although the Mayweather camp knew nothing about the 29-year-old Irishman’s style of boxing, his lifestyle and character said a lot about the UFC champion. They knew he was an aggressive and a loud-mouthed fighter, therefore letting him win the first round got McGregor excited and overconfident. What followed was a lot of shouting and taunting from the Irishman, which got his head off the game. McGregor went all out on Mayweather in the first 3 rounds, showing him all his cards as he tired himself out. Hereon, there was nothing a tired McGregor would do that would surprise the 40-year-old American. Mayweather danced around for the remainder of the match, and dispatched the Irishman with ease.

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Fans and Business

This was one of the most hyped boxing matches in history, largely due to McGregor’s aggressive online campaign of throwing shade at Mayweather while hyping himself up. Before the fight even started, McGregor was already winning; as he had naïve fans all over the world believe that an amateur boxer could take on one of the best in history. If Mayweather went all out from the first round, the fight would have ended too quickly for the American to make the big bucks he wanted to. The organisation of the fight and all the sponsorships were from the Mayweather Camp, hence this fight was more of commercial operation than a sporting one for Mayweather. Hence, McGregor showing a little bit of promise before being brought back to earth was a part of the script Mayweather himself wrote, to keep the fans happy and the business booming.

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However, regardless of Mayweather’s win in the ring and the box office, McGregor won a lot of hearts out there with his performance. No one had ever dared to do what he did, and no amount of preparation in the world would be enough for a rookie to beat an undefeated veteran. The fact that even after Mayweather switched it up in the 4th round, the match went on till the 10th round, means that McGregor is a man with a brave heart and strong will. For now, however, McGregor must stick to the UFC ring, as he makes way for the undisputed King of Boxing to take his final bow.

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