The hyped clash of combat sports titans has come and gone with Floyd Mayweather Jr. coming out victorious against boxing newcomer and UFC king Conor McGregor by way of Technical Knockout in the 10th round of a scheduled 12.
Predictions swayed back and forth with McGregor insisting in a knockout in four rounds with Mayweather saying McGregor would not go the distance.
When the first bell rang, McGregor shook the T-Mobile Arena with thunderous shots as he nailed stiff jabs and hooks to the head and body of the self proclaimed best fighter ever seemingly flustering him in the early going.
McGregor would continue his flurry through the second, third, and fourth rounds before the tide slowly started going in Mayweather’s favor.
The strategy became apparent. To wear the inexperienced man out and go in for the kill.
Similar in fashion to “The Rumble in the Jungle” fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, Mayweather let McGregor have the first few rounds which in turn wore him down and had him fatigued for the last legs of the fight.
McGregor’s inexperience and failure to understand the strategy of the longtime boxer led to his demise in the 10th round.
Mayweather was not without his own blemishes in the fight occasionally turning his back to the hungry Irish fighter which in any contact sport or street brawl is an absolute no-no.
While it could have also been the strategy, Mayweather also seemed to fight McGregor’s fight for the first quarter of the brawl which was pretty strange as almost every fighter including the late legend Arturo Gatti fought Mayweather’s style which ultimately lead to their downfall in their bouts with Mayweather.
That being said, the fight was one of the most entertaining back and forth boxing match ups in recent years. The technique while at times sloppy, was for the most part on point for the two warriors as each had just as much a desire to give the fans their money’s worth while also to win the fight.
Mayweather thanked the fans and stated that it was his mission to give fans what they wanted after an admittedly disappointing bout against Manny Pacquiao.
“I gave the fans what they wanted to see,” Mayweather said after his win. “I told them that I owed them for the Pacquiao fight. I must come straight ahead and give them a show.”
What a great show indeed for the many who stayed awake for the crossover clash. The fans truly got what they deserved and there’s no doubt that UFC and Boxing fans will go to sleep knowing that they saw a very special and entertaining fight.
One Response
Stopped too early. McGregor had more. Rigged for match 2.