The Money Came, We Saw, Floyd Conquered
And say what you will (lots did) but Conor belonged inside the boxing ring
Better than expected. Boring. Incredible. Surprising. Not surprising. Epic. Embarrassing. Impressive. Quite enjoyable. A total joke. Awesome. Disappointed.
Mayweather-McGregor is finally over and those were pretty much the comments spiraling into my Twitter timeline and iMessages (except for those few people who don’t use iPhones and their texts came as plain messages — ugh) following the fight. While I don’t agree with everything they shared, I do see how they came to their conclusions. A fight having been rumored for well over a year followed by the promotional hype-train which has been rolling steadily the last few months was guaranteed to draw the ire of social media trolls, criticism of some, and applause of others.
Better than expected. The overwhelming reaction shared by most, especially those who believed McGregor stood absolutely no chance against Mayweather and assumed he would get dominated. When that didn’t happen and he proved he did belong (including some really nice shots in the opening rounds), most readily ate their words.
Boring. These comments made little sense. When you consider a decision victory by Mayweather with very little action was the bar set by most, to receive something in stark contrast would seemingly be the polar opposite of boring.
Incredible. Many were blown away with how well McGregor held his own against Mayweather and if you talked to anyone other than the judges ringside, a majority of the watchers (inside the T-Mobile Arena and at home on television) had McGregor up three rounds to none to begin the fight. For a guy making his professional boxing debut against the 49–0 (now 50–0) legend of boxing (even if he is years past his prime), the way the fight played out was pretty incredible.
Surprising. A lot of people were surprised because they’re either weren’t familiar with McGregor prior to this fight being made or despite being knowledgeable of him and his skills, really believed the man stood no chance at being competitive. As he’s done on multiple occasions in the UFC as well, Conor surprised a lot of people. And Mayweather surprised some too by actually finishing the fight.
Not surprising. Some weren’t surprised because they were familiar with McGregor and very knowledgeable of the skills he possesses, and they believed even if he didn’t win, he at least had the tools necessary to bring it to Mayweather and make it a real fight. The fact Conor gassed quickly, Floyd did not, and he waited for the right opportunity to tactfully pick Conor apart and ultimately win the fight were outcomes not at all surprising. And the fact they made a lot, a lot, a lot of money surprised nobody!
Epic. “For $99.95, the fight was worth the money” was the sentiment I heard shared by all. (Although if you didn’t get to see the fight because of the pay-per-view issues it might not have been worth the money.) I didn’t find a message or tweet to the contrary. In fact, placed against the backdrop of Mayweather versus Pacquiao, the fight was indeed epic. Perhaps it won’t rank up there with some of the greatest or most memorable fights of all time, but throughout the fight, especially in those opening rounds, most people began wondering: could he actually do it?
Embarrassing. As some predicted, yes, it would have been very embarrassing had McGregor not even landed a single punch or had this fight been worse than Mayweather versus Pacquiao, but that wasn’t the case. Conor tagged Floyd on multiple occasions (wish I would have laid capital on the prop bet for the number of punches landed by McGregor) and it would be tough to argue how this fight wasn’t head and shoulders above Mayweather-Pacquiao.
Impressive. “Conor impressed the heck out of me” were the direct words from several people I talked to after the fight. He landed punches, took shots without getting knocked down or out, and actually looked like a boxer who belonged in the ring. And as he’s done before following a loss, McGregor was classy in defeat, which impressed several folks unfamiliar with him.
Quite enjoyable. For MMA fans (non-boxing fans), despite watching their guy lose, it was enjoyable to watch Mayweather possibly fight for the very last time and close out one of the greatest boxing careers ever. And those same fans unfamiliar with boxing witnessed it is not a cake sport, McGregor’s power being different inside the ring, and despite Conor’s preparation he was outclassed by an experienced technician.
A total joke. This made even less sense than the boring comments. There were those who thought this fight in general was a total farce and sham, but how you could watch Saturday night and still come away thinking it was a total joke, I don’t understand.
Awesome. The atmosphere. Whether you were watching inside the arena, at a house party, in a sports bar, or with a small group of friends, the energy was electric. People were on the edge of their seats. It was fun. Most people will never forget where they were on the night Mayweather fought McGregor.
Disappointed. The finish. It wasn’t a decision (thankfully) but even McGregor himself wished the referee would have allowed for him to get knocked down at least once. The outcome likely would have been no different but what if Conor had survived and made his way into the 11th round. We’ll never know (unless they run it back once more).
So in conclusion, I think it’s fair to say this fight was better than expected, wasn’t boring, had incredible moments, was surprising yet not surprising at the same time, could be classified as epic, had nothing to be embarrassed about, proved both fighters are impressive in their own ways, was quite enjoyable for all fans (boxing, MMA, sports), backed up the hype by being the furthest thing from a joke of a contest, provided an unbelievable atmosphere and night for everyone who attended or watched, and disappointed only in causing us to still question what if.
What if McGregor would have landed some more punches early on? What if the referee didn’t call the fight and we got one (possibly two) more round? What if they would have allowed knees, kicks, or hammer fists? What if Mayweather were to step inside the octagon? (Although in regard to the last two “what ifs” it doesn’t really matter. The fight agreed upon by both parties was a boxing match. Not MMA or mixed rules. Conor believed he had the skills to beat Floyd at his own game or at least be very competitive and make a lot of money in doing so. Inside the boxing ring is where they did battle and Mayweather was the conqueror.)
The final thought to reiterate: Conor McGregor did something most other athletes cannot — take on a sport that is not his own and be competitive with one of the best. Pluck a 28-year-old tennis superstar (with a swimming background in his younger years) and drop him in the pool with a 40-year-old Michael Phelps one day and I don’t believe the tennis star holds water in any way. Sure Tim Tebow is making a decent effort, Deion Sanders was impressive, and Bo Jackson had success, but what they did/he’s doing feels way different to me.
Congratulations Conor McGregor! You’ll go down in history. Not for the world-shocking upset you predicted, but for living up to the hype you and Mayweather promised we’d see when the two of you touched gloves. Oh and by the way, be forever grateful to Floyd for the risk he took in fighting you and enabling you to make life-changing money.
