MAYWEATHER V McGREGOR: PACKING GLOVES WITH PUNCHES AND SUITCASES WITH MONEY

For the longest of times, we’ve craved something out of the ordinary. We’ve longed for a telegenic spectacle to picture perfection, capping off what is a generation of kicking the norm. Finally we’re to get one and we’re longing for it.
Two titans of principled pugilism clash in a priceless, uncommon fight, on the grandest of stages, uniting two worlds, making quite a few people they will never know a shit ton of money, with bragging rights, pride and status at stake. At Urban Central, we decided to put our thoughts out on the fight in a few words.
WHO ARE THEY?
Best in two worlds;
In this corner:
Floyd Mayweather. an experienced once in a lifetime boxer, in the twilight of his career, probably the greatest of all time.
His opponent:
ConnorMcGregor. a seasoned fighter schooled in ferocity and intensity, in the thick of his career; his peak — a terrier of the cage.
Connor is intense, witty and brash due to his deep MMA roots. Floyd is the cooler more mature head, waiting for his skills to speak for him — he’s beaten everyone and anyone. It’s gonna be a great match.
WHAT DOES THIS MATCH MEAN?
As far as collision courses and crossovers go, this is probably the greatest. Greater than Numb/Encore. That’s all you need to know. Potentially, it could open the way to more collision courses and unite more platforms across several walks of life, across several demographics. People will be more willing to leave their comfort zones to push their limits and test themselves. It’s not even about the equally huge media and financial ramifications, but the photo-op and knock on effects.
Commercially though, it’s unrivalled because you have two huge worlds in modern sports coming together.
Simply, this match will be pivotal and be discussed for years to come.
WHAT DO WE EXPECT?
As noted earlier, Mayweather is a seasoned boxer who’s seen it all in his field, and needs something new to test himself at. He’s as adept in defence as in offense, against the Pacman, he exemplified his defensive qualities, earning him the ‘boring’ tag, which also typifies another thing; he’s willing to do whatever to win, sacrificing showmanship and he does study his opponent well to discover that. Now though, he’s 40 years old and this is a bit of a risky move. But who’s gonna tell him that huh? While his skill is undoubted, age is bound to tell, even though class never dies and experience is always a vital one to have. He’ll be slowing down. While Floyd is as technical as they come, it will be a disadvantage. But does that mean he can’t win? No.
Conor on the other hand is 29 and he’s the crown Jewel of MMA, which means speed, tenacity, drive and ferocity mixed with strong will to punish and inflict pain, on the plus side. If he uses his age and speed in a way that blindsides Floyd — who will know these things, then Floyd is in for a bad day.
However, Floyd is more of a seasoned fighter, Connor is used to wilder environments. From where I stand, that’s a problem for Connor. If he goes with the same pure MMA spirit, he’ll lose but must not completely neglect it. He’s got to use those skills and mindset in a different way to an MMA ring.
Also worthy of note is that Connor will not be able to call on his vast array of kicking techniques as boxing rules will apply during this showdown, leading to another question as to if he would able to throw punches with same ferocity as he would be kitted in boxing gloves that weigh 8. to 20 ounce opposed to the lighter MMA/UFC gloves that weigh 4 ounce.
SOME ANALYSIS, HYPOTHESIS AND WHO WINS?
While a lot of people think Connor wins, I think it’s not that simple. Mayweather is a master at reading his opponents to his strengths. However, if Conor can go at Mayweather heavily, dominating range, wear him out in the first 2–3 minutes, throwing everything at him with some unorthodox boxing, he’ll probably win. Energy won’t be as abundant for Floyd as it was 5–10 years ago. An early aggressive, furious imposition and onslaught from McGregor will probably win it. He’s agile, can fight forward, backwards or whatever. He’s already gotten into Mayweather’s head.
Nevertheless, as I noted earlier, Floyd is a boxer, Connor is a fighter and that means something; Mayweather knows the dark arts of boxing and he’s the worst opponent you could ask for. He’s also skilled at defence which might not speak well for McGregor if he anticipates him early enough.
Connor is an attacker, he rarely defends. Attacking full on could open him up to a big offensive he’s never been subjected to and that will be disastrous. I don’t see him surviving a Mayweather onslaught or round of punches, even though I think Mayweather might survive his and It’s a farce that Mayweather has no offence.
In a game of counters, Mayweather is more assured on his feet than Conor, but Conor is unpredictable because he won’t have the predictable punch patterns of professional boxers if he chooses to go full MMA.
There’s also a way Conor carries his hands — especially his left hand, relying heavily on his famed left hook. He seems to be weaker to his right. He simply can’t do that against Floyd. His hands are seldom up and he looks prone to attack if someone is smart enough to see him. Mayweather will.
Then again, Mayweather is a pound-for-pound legend who can also go at it, but McGregor has energy to last long, and he’s agile. Conor is also taller, meaning that Mayweather will be reaching to land his punches most of the time and Floyd is used to parying and ducking short hands. But that could also be an advantage to Floyd because longer hands take longer to come back. If Conor misses, it could be a problem.
While the world is going for a McGregor win and I think they have a point, I know Mayweather all too well. But if Conor will win, it’ll probably be a knockout. But will he get Mayweather clean? That is the tough one. If Mayweather will win though, I think he’ll want to toy with Conor.
Winning depends on certain dynamics and who can take advantage of tactical advantages. For this, Mayweather is a master, however Connor is a brawler who could very well rely on guile and his unpredictable style.
May the best man win.
By PennedMusingsNG for Urban Central. You can follow him on Twitter @Weird_Liberal
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