Mayweather vs. McGregor (Post Fight Analysis)
In my previous post before the Mayweather/McGregor fight, I described Mayweather’s rise to become boxing’s poster child. And last night, he ended his fairy-tale career by defeating his younger counterpart in the UFC in a widely televised boxing match:
He also beat the legendary Rocky Marciano’s record.
He could have taken in his finest hour by making fun of McGregor and his fans. He could have turned his win into a boxing versus MMA spectacle.
But he took the high road, bowing out gracefully and even complimented McGregor and the UFC post fight. Talk about class and maturity. Mayweather can sail into the sunset with a couple more millions in the bank.
Connor McGregor Deserves a lot of Praise
The Irishman was an amateur boxer with his first professional match against the finest defensive boxer of all time. A mismatch on paper however you look at it. And yet he lasted 10 rounds, winning the earlier rounds decisively, and tagging Mayweather with some great shots. But the difference in experience was clear: McGregor punched himself out in the earlier rounds, and without the conditioning of a Maidana or Cotto, became easy picking for Floyd who TKO’d him in the 10th.
McGregor put on a better show than Manny Pacqiao and Ricky Hatton, quite remarkable when we consider this was McGregor’s first professional boxing match. And whether we think he was sucker punched or not, Victor Ortiz with all his boxing experience didn’t fare as well as McGregor against Floyd. McGregor had to resist the urge to use kicks, takedowns, elbows and choke holds, and mentally limited himself to one style in a foreign environment (ring). He had to fight for longer than he was accustomed to. And he had to do all this against a boxing legend with 20+ years of experience and 49 (now 50 wins) under his belt. Not to mention the Irish man put on perhaps the best display of mental warfare against Mayweather ever seen, with an epic series of press conferences, the best stop stop in my opinion being in Toronto.
McGregor did a great job; in the ring fighting and promoting the match. He’s accomplished more at his age than most. And with his first boxing loss, he’s gained priceless experience. Boxers spend years trying to earn a shot at a big money fight, and he was blessed with one with his first match. He should be grateful and hold his head up high with pride.
Combat Sports Crossover Experiments
The Mayweather vs. McGregor bout exposed the limitations of an MMA fighter in a boxing ring, similar to the Randy Couture vs. James Toney crossover experiment in 2010 which exposed the limitations of a boxing champion in the Octagon. James Toney is no less a champion after his loss to Couture, and likewise McGregor is no less a champion after his loss to Mayweather. There is no doubt that if the roles were reversed and Mayweather had challenged McGregor to a MMA match, McGregor would have easily crushed Mayweather. Imagine Mayweather trying to stop a takedown, trying to defend against leg kicks and elbows or on his back trying to stop a rear naked choke or an armed bar, and you get the picture. With the boxing match, McGregor was a 100meter sprint runner who competed against an experienced long distance Olympian. He started off the race strong, but the experienced long distance runner kept his composure and pace, and easily won the race as his challenger ran out of gas. These crossover events are learning experiences that also serve as entertaining spectacles for the public. And until the world produces another Bo Jackson, we will continue to see these kinds of results.
The Road Ahead
The Mayweather vs McGregor match showed that boxing can stand on its own and isn’t going anywhere, and it showed that both boxing and MMA can coexist in harmony. I would personally love to see more boxers attend MMA bouts to support, and vice versa (more MMA fighters supporting boxing matches). I would love to see more competitive matchups and unification matches (e.g. Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua for boxing, and McGregor wrapping up the trilogy with Nate Diaz in the UFC and then taking on Khabib Nurmagomedov). Maybe even some mainstream conversations on how the PPV model is affecting boxing’s accessibility (and popularity), and the role of sanctioning bodies in today’s modern boxing era.
Mayweather vs McGregor was a huge success. It’s up to the leaders and media in both camps to capitalize on the success of the event and take MMA and boxing to even higher levels.
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