To hit and not get hit. As far as 12-time world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr is concerned, that’s the gameplan once the bell rings on fight night in Las Vegas. The former American Olympian who has remained undefeated for the last 20 years is all set to bump fists with Irishman Conor McGregor—one of the most dangerous fighters in the saga of mixed martial arts—in what is touted to be the bout that will shatter nearly all revenue and viewership records in the sport’s history.
In actuality, the unprecedented super-fight is already breaking the internet, days before either contender steps into the ring. It’s not just drawing the interest of boxing-vs-mixed martial arts enthusiasts, the hype surrounding the much-anticipated brawl has actually tapped into an audience that doesn’t follow either sport.
Some old-school connoisseurs of combat sports have called this rivalry a ‘circus of vice’ primarily because of the obscene amount of cash involved for 36-minutes of work—reports estimate that if the pay-per-view audience numbers go through the roof, the purse could be as high as $400 million for Floyd which will push his total career earnings past $1,000,000,000. (Meanwhile, the current richest athlete in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, is just paid over $50 million per year by Real Madrid). To add fuel to this ringside fire, there are also those who quote the farcical contrast of fight styles because it literally is the sporting equivalent of placing an accomplished cricket player in a World Series baseball match.
So, why is a clash between a 40-year-old who hasn’t boxed in two years and a 29-year-old MMA phenom who’s never competed in a licensed boxing match generating so much attention? We caught up with ‘Money’ Mayweather, to find out more.
One (more) last fight
Boxing is an unforgiving sport. Having been born into a family of Michigan-based boxers—that boasts of names like Roger Mayweather—Floyd Jr, who is way past his prime, is well aware of that factoid. Taking care of his kids is of paramount importance to Floyd because his childhood was spent in a downtrodden household riddled with drug abuse and domestic violence, alongside a father who once used him as a human shield during a gunfight. “Make no mistake, this is my last fight. I gave my word to my (four) children and I don’t intend to break that. They’ll be going to college soon and I’m going to be around to support them. I need to make sure that they get what I missed out on—a proper education,” shares the high-school dropout, who went on to become a five-division world champion.
This rags-to-riches ‘King Of The Ring’, who has been scrapping since he was six, hung up his gloves for a second time after defeating Andre Berto (in 2015) with an untarnished record of 49 wins and zero losses. In fact, one of the only times he’s faced defeat on a big stage is when he participated in Dancing With The Stars. This time, he’s coming out of retirement to face the strong and extremely popular McGregor, who conquered his own realm by decimating champions to become the first-ever UFC warrior to reign over two weight-classes simultaneously.
Donning the black hat
Truth is, this event is one-thirds of a boxing match garnished with two-thirds of spectacle. To achieve this sort of clout, the promoters organised a blitzkrieg of smart online campaigns. It’s also being propagated by legions of fervent followers that each of these fighters has garnered across social networking platforms—a total of 3.7 crore fans for Mayweather and 2.8 crore supporters for McGregor. This kind of exposure has helped the fight seep into the pop-culture spectrum.
The recent three-country press tour with stops at London-Los Angeles-New York-Toronto events raked in millions of views, essentially because of racist antics and homophobic trash talk by both athletes. It also resulted in a lot of (negative) media attention.Yet, ‘Money’, who has made a career out of understanding consumer behaviour and playing the heel, doesn’t bat an eyelid.
The fully emancipated boxer—who’s cheered and jeered in equal measure—has no qualms about ostentatious displays of his fortune on Instagram or slandering opponents during worldwide broadcasts. Behind his villainous facade lies an intelligent entertainer, who occasionally displays his sagaciousness outside the ring too.
When suddenly asked about his thoughts on Donald Trump’s response to the rise of white supremacists in America he calmly reacted by not stepping on any influential toes. “I’ve seen some things that happened in Charlottesville and it’s absolutely not cool. However, I’ve been extremely busy with training, working out, and spending time with my daughters (17-year-old Iyana and 13-year-old Jirah) that I didn’t really get to see what the President (Trump) said at all. But like I always say, this world needs to be a more positive place,” Mayweather evades the question.
Unpopular opinion
So, what are his views on what may happen during 12-round super welterweight matchup? “I recently saw a short clip of McGregor boxing,” shares Mayweather, elaborating, “It had a lot of rabbit punching (illegal hits to the back of the skull) and grappling. Even though he roped in renowned referee Joe Cortez to supervise his boxing training camp, his tactics remain dirty.” The brutally aggressive Connor McGregor—who’s used to battling five rounds of five-minutes in the UFC—will have to face-off against someone who the pundits call ‘the greatest defensive boxer of all-time’.
Having never professionally boxed before, will McGregor be able to go the distance without using his unusual flashy kicks and soul-crushing clinches? Experts like Mike Tyson and Joe Rogan state that if the bout goes to decision, Floyd’s elite counterpunching skills will lead to a victory by points. But if it heads to stoppage, McGregor’s fiery left fist will cinch a knockout.
All said and done, everyone including the experts/fans/hobbyists/haters will watch the biggest fight in combat sports history. Why? It’s because there’s a chance they may get to witness this generation’s foremost prizefighter crumble.
“I’m taking the bigger risk here by fighting McGregor. Everything’s on the line for me, including my 21-year legacy. People often compare my 49-0 record with Rocky Marciano’s 49-0. Rocky is a legend and he did it his way. But, I’m doing things the Mayweather way,” concludes the boxer, who often refers to himself ‘The Best Ever’. So, what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
Meet the ‘underdog’
There’s no doubt that Conor Anthony McGregor is the clear fan favourite. Often referred to as ‘the working-class hero who hails from a working-class city’, this one-time apprentice plumber, who made a living from within the murky underbelly of Dublin, turned to mixed martial arts to protect himself from gangland feuds. But the seemingly brazen-mouthed ‘Notorious’ McGregor has come a long way from sparring at the Crumlin Boxing Club in Ireland.
His meteoric rise to fame—from a pro debut in 2008 to becoming the first fighter in history to hold two UFC world championships by knocking out over 80 per cent of his opponents—has never before been seen in combat sports. Now, this ridiculously athletic and unpredictable mind-game expert is hoping to cash in the largest paycheck of his life by stepping into a boxing ring with Mayweather Jr.
Tune into SonyESPN to watch him fight live in future UFC matches.
Greatest hits
• Mayweather once paid $750,000 to Top Rank, a kingmaker in boxing, to buy himself out their contract to became his own boss in 2006.
• At WrestleMania XXIV, he knocked out Big Show.
• He loves to gamble and bet $815,000 on an NFL game and won $1.4 million in 2014.
• Besides two private jets, his garage boasts a fleet of supercars including two Buggatis and a Rolls Royce Wraith.
• This boxer is savvy and surgical in the business realm too. His real-estate portfolio is worth millions and he recently opened a ‘gentleman’s club’ called Girl Collection.
• His post-retirement plans include starting a global chain of gyms called Mayweather Boxing & Fitness.
Anti-champion?
• For a brief period in the ’00s, rapper 50 Cent and Mayweather went from BFFs to enemies after the former accused the boxer of not being able to read.
• Arrested multiple times for violence and battery.
• Allegedly being investigated for a tax fraud
• Spent 60 days in solitary confinement at Clark County Detention Center for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.