Scoring the Money Fight
On August 26th, the biggest spectacle of the year took place, as UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor stepped into the squared circle to compete against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. The fight ended in a 10th round TKO victory for Mayweather. Prior to the stoppage, the fight seemed competitive, with Conor McGregor landing strikes in the opening rounds. However, the scorecards of the ringside judges did not reflect this notion. Let’s take a look at the scorecards of the ringside judges and Verdict’s global scorecard.
According to statistics provided by Compubox, McGregor out-struck Mayweather 9–2 in the first round. All three ringside judges scored the 1st round 10–9 in favor of Conor McGregor. Rounds 2 and 3 were similar to round 1, as McGregor was the aggressor and out-struck Mayweather. However, both Judges Burt Clements and Guido Cavalleri scored these rounds 10–9 in favor of Floyd Mayweather. McGregor was the busier fighter in rounds 2 and 3, as he landed 8 of 42 strikes in round 2 compared to Mayweathers’ 5 of 10, and landed 9 of 39 strikes in round 3 compared to Mayweather’s 5 of 12. As per the scoring criteria outlined in the ABC’s regulatory guidelines, clean punching and effective aggressiveness must be considered when scoring a round. McGregor landed more clean punches and was the aggressor in rounds 2 and 3, but lost those rounds in the eyes of Burt Clements and Guido Cavalleri.
Let’s take a look at the average scores from Verdict. Verdict’s global scorecard displays the average score of the total scores placed on the platform. The first three rounds, in which Conor McGregor was the aggressor and landed more strikes, were scored 10–9 for McGregor. The 4th round was the closest round of the fight. Each fighter landed the same amount of strikes with 16. Verdict’s global scorecard was a reflection of how close the 4th round was, as the average score was 10–10.
During the first 9 rounds, Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor appeared to be closer than how the ringside judges scored it. Though the fight was ultimately taken over by Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor did enjoy early success in the opening rounds.
