Listen Now:  

Mayweather – McGregor: Saturday never seemed farther

Posted on 08/24/2017

by Valerie Del Villar

This Saturday is going to be lit.

The fight no one had been waiting for has now turned into the very fight the world waits with bated breath to see. I don’t think that that’s an overstatement. Everybody from here to the UK either wants to see Floyd Mayweather be crowned victorious yet again, and ride out with the all too prestigious record of 50-0, or Conor McGregor be the first, and only to do what all the others couldn’t: beat him.


Photo: Showtime

The past few weeks have been filled with more drama than “Game of Thrones”. Insults, hype, and sensational footage to say the least; and oh, how we all just love us some good old fashioned, home grown, leaked footage.

The sparring sessions between Paulie Malignaggi and Conor McGregor will probably go down in the annals of boxing history. Prior to this fight, I had never heard of camp life being as acrimonious as it seemed to have been now for McGregor and his former partner. One could consider it strange to arrange for a fighter to come out, only to then allow a sequence of events to unfold, so unsavory, that he ends up bailing mid-camp. Those events, no doubt are ones only they will truly ever understand. I don’t know that Conor and company kicked him while he was down, but they did make it a point to film it, and release it for all to see. Paulie says it was a push-down, not a knock down but- I suppose that I say tomato, and you say to-mah-to?

Now let’s get on with the fighters, shall we?

Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas for a fight described by Sugar Ray Leonard as ‘about history’

Floyd “Money” Mayweather- you know him, you love him, or you don’t like him at all- it really is that simple. Whatever your stance on Money May is personally, you can’t deny that what he’s done in his career, in the sport of boxing is nothing short of damn impressive. “Hit and not get hit” that’s the sweet science, and what it all comes down to. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Well sure, but few have made it look as deceptively easy as Floyd. His record speaks for itself, his cash flow is endless, the fleet of cars makes your mouth water and his house is freaking sweet. and in case all his stuff doesn’t let you know what time it is, he will! If there’s one thing we can always count on Floyd for it’s some good old fashioned banter. But a while ago, very a la high school, a rumor started: the world of Professional boxing and MMA were colliding. I thought it was bologna, and I don’t mean Italy.

Now, before I go on some misguided rant about all things MMA, I’m just going to go ahead and fall on my sword right now. I don’t know much. I know Dana White is the head guy charge , I also know that MMA is F***ING ROUGH. I haven’t got the stomach for it. Not the stomach, the eyes, the legs, I got nothing. I need a padded glove, a stool, some water, something. I’d rather not have to watch hardcore grappling, face bashing, and knuckle poundings while I eat my hot wings. I’m no hot wing authority, but I think they’re best consumed under circumstances that don’t involve kicks to the face with blood splatter and broken bones. So not knowing all that much about MMA, I wasn’t too versed in “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. Last I had seen, he took a pretty big L to Nate Diaz in UFC 196 (Later redeemed and won a decision in UFC 202). This however, has only made me appreciate McGregor more. If you’ll remember a young lady by the name of Ronda Rousey who was riding a real big wave for a moment in time, than you’ll know why I mention her in the past tense. She lost. The common thread between the two fighters here is that both have lost- publicly and royally, however- look at Conor now. He swiftly managed to fall on his face, only to emerge one of the most talked about fighters of the year with the opportunity and payout of a lifetime. Ronda? Well, I haven’t seen much of her lately.

Saturday night is sure draw in the masses- celebrities and socialites, hardcore fans and casual onlookers; with ticket sales sure to surpass the record-breaking numbers of Mayweather-Pacquiao ($400 million from viewers like you!). Sides are split- Mayweather followers trust that surely there can be no way that this man, from another world and another place can destroy him, when 49 other others over the last 20 years have all tried and failed. McGregor fans fear not, however- because it seems that his skill and technique are something we may severely be underestimating. Do I personally think it’s going to be a wash? NO. But I have my favorite.

This is new territory. One that is more home to Floyd than Conor, but anything can happen in the ring. It only takes one good punch for either a new beginning, or for it to all be over in the blink of a black eye.

Follow Valerie Del Villar On Twitter: @ValDelvillar

Leave a Comment

More Columns

Listen to my podcast
WHAT'S
Trending

Sorry. No data so far.


FOLLOW
BoxingInsider
ABOUT

Established in 1997 as a premier boxing destination. The staff of BoxingInsider.com love hearing from people all over the world.

© 2024 BOXINGINSIDER LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


SUBSCRIBE TODAY