The Ugly Spectacle of “The Money Fight”

This Saturday, August 26, 2017, Floyd Mayweather Jr., a once-in-a-generation boxing talent, will compete in a professional boxing match against Conor McGregor, a once-in-a-generation talent of an entirely different sport.
At face value, the fight is meaningless and uninteresting. While McGregor, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, boasts impressive credentials as a mixed martial artist, he is not a boxer.
In a boxing match, an undefeated, world-class boxer clearly has the advantage over a fighter of a different kind.
Unfortunately, as compensation for the lack of a reasonable competition or challenge, promotion for the fight has been ugly. Meetings billed as news conferences could be more easily likened to storylines straight from a WWE match.
And frankly, I’m far more entertained by the WWE.
Over the course of a four-city media tour, Mayweather and McGregor have traded barbs and insults, ranging from the typical to the offensive.
While both fighters have strutted on stage and flaunted their wealth, Mayweather has insulted McGregor using a gay slur and McGregor has, on several occasions, used racially tinged language, harkening back to the “great white hope” narrative of 1910’s “Fight of the Century” between black boxer Jack Johnson and then-reigning champion James J. Jeffries.
Both men, of course, have displayed ugly behavior prior to this. Mayweather’s champion status is undercut by several domestic violence convictions, while McGregor has a history of racial insults against Latino opponents.
If someone is disgusted by the conduct of one of the competitors, it’s impossible to side with the other.
The fight seemed pointless at its inception, but its promotion has made it clear that it’s also tasteless.
While there is good reason to doubt the sporting value of the match, there is also reason to doubt the safety of it.
According to The New York Times, the Association of Ringside Physicians, a group comprised of over 100 ringside doctors, does not believe the fight should happen at all.
“We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on,” said Larry Lovelace, the president of the organization. “The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody’s going to get really hurt in this upcoming fight.”
There’s no logical explanation for the fight to take place. Nobody with knowledge of the sport assumes it will be competitive or even safe.
I don’t blame Mayweather or McGregor for their decision to take part in this fight. I’m sure both parties, regardless of the outcome of the match, will be well compensated.
Saturday’s fight will be less of a boxing match than a televised ego trip. No matter the outcome, one man will be humbled and both will be paid.
Mostly I just feel bad that this is where we are.

