# Mayweather Vs. McGregor **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 1, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843 "2017-06-01T16:13:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/102 "2017-08-26T13:17:38Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > But once those first few rounds are out of the way, this is where I start to worry about McGregor’s safety a little bit. Boxing in many ways is more dangerous than MMA. Boxers sustain repeated punches to the head. Numerous people have died in the ring - fighters fighting at the elite level have been killed. A boxing ring is not an octagon. It doesn’t allow for freer movement; it’s smaller and more confining. There are ropes to balance yourself up against. There are corners to escape from. It might seem easy in a sparring session, but in a real fight, going up against one of the best fighters ever to have stepped into a ring, raining combinations on your head and body, it might be something that McGregor has a hard time dealing with. For an MMA fighter who’s not used to it, it could be as scary to face that as it would be for a pro boxer who’s trying to escape from a Randy Couture or Royce Gracie full mount. I don’t know that much about McGregor’s career but in general MMA fighters are not used to taking a lot of punches to the head. I wouldn’t be surprised if McGregor gets knocked out. Floyd is not a huge knockout puncher but he can hit hard and I thinks it’s likely if he connects with a good shot McGregor will just cover up and end up taking more punches, and eventually make a mistake that Floyd will take advantage of. I doubt he’s ever taken a serious shot to the chin, or had his eyes pounded with jabs, or taken serious body punches as an MMA fighter. > [@](#): > > I’m not watching the fight - don’t know whether to say fortunately or unfortunately. I’d like to see it but these days being on the east coast is brutal for sports fans with stuff to do in the morning. I won’t even consider buying PPV; I’d only consider going to a bar to watch it but I wouldn’t get home until well past midnight. Not worth it. If I thought McGregor were really skilled at boxing and had a real shot, I might. A slightly younger, slimmer Nate Diaz against a Pacquiao or Mayweather? I might watch that. MMA is still a huge dog in a boxing match but there are some fights where I’d at least like to see if it goes past 5 rounds. One thing I consider before throwing away money to see a fight is whether the fighters deserve the money. In a sense, I think Floyd almost deserves what he gets this time, but McGregor definitely doesn’t. I won’t be spending $100 on this one. It wouldn’t be worth spending $10 on and I certainly don’t want McGregor getting any of my money. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/103 "2017-08-26T13:42:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know that much about McGregor’s career but in general MMA fighters are not used to taking a lot of punches to the head. I wouldn’t be surprised if McGregor gets knocked out. Floyd is not a huge knockout puncher but he can hit hard and I thinks it’s likely if he connects with a good shot McGregor will just cover up and end up taking more punches, and eventually make a mistake that Floyd will take advantage of. I doubt he’s ever taken a serious shot to the chin, or had his eyes pounded with jabs, or taken serious body punches as an MMA fighter. The one fight McGregor lost in his recent career with UFC was against Nate Diaz, who’s actually a pretty skilled stand-up fighter with a long reach and solid jab. Diaz started out as a Brazilian jiujutsu practitioner but he’s become a competent boxer for an MMA guy. The beginning of the end in that fight was the repeated blows to the head that Diaz landed. McGregor was battered so much that he tried to take the fight to the ground, which was actually playing into Diaz’s strengths. McGregor does learn from fights - I’ll absolutely give him that. But I doubt that there’s anything he could have learned from Diaz that’s going to remotely prepare him for what he’s about to face tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/104 "2017-08-26T13:54:38Z")
I see the main fight tonight is listed as 9 PM Eastern. Is this when it will occur, or just a rough estimate? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/105 "2017-08-26T13:56:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I see the main fight tonight is listed as 9 PM Eastern. Is this when it will occur, or just a rough estimate? I think that’s when TV hype begins; fight won’t begin until 11PM EDT if I’m not mistaken. The fight’s in Vegas so like most modern sport spectacles they want the West Coast viewership to be prime time and they assume that godless Northeasterners who ain’t right with the Lord will stay up on a Saturday night. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/106 "2017-08-26T22:04:15Z")
My friend just moved to Vegas and apparently the Irish have taken over the town. Should be a great fight with a great atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/107 "2017-08-27T00:15:12Z")
So just how much stronger is McGregor? Like, 25% stronger than Mayweather? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/108 "2017-08-27T00:30:36Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > So just how much stronger is McGregor? Like, 25% stronger than Mayweather? What do you mean by stronger, and who says he’s stronger? This is going to be a boxing match not a weight lifting competition. Mayweather is a 49-0 undefeated champion, considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world when he was active. McGregor has an 0-0 record as a boxer. I think some people believe McGregor can hit harder than Mayweather, I’m not so sure about that, and I seriously doubt McGregor can actually connect with a hard punch anyway. But we’ll find out soon. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/109 "2017-08-27T01:02:05Z")
This is a great fight to bet on Mayweather, lots of sentimental money going on McGregor. The odds still favor Mayweather but near as much as they should be reflecting it. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/110 "2017-08-27T01:09:16Z")
The bout starts soon right? So they’ll go on at, what, 11? EST? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/111 "2017-08-27T01:10:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > What do you mean by stronger, and who says he’s stronger? This is going to be a boxing match not a weight lifting competition. Mayweather is a 49-0 undefeated champion, considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world when he was active. McGregor has an 0-0 record as a boxer. I think some people believe McGregor can hit harder than Mayweather, I’m not so sure about that, and I seriously doubt McGregor can actually connect with a hard punch anyway. But we’ll find out soon. McGregor’s the bigger, heavier man. Everything else being equal he’s going to be stronger. Not that this necessarily means much in a boxing match, but it probably means a little. It won’t be as much as 25% stronger. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/112 "2017-08-27T01:39:50Z")
If you want to get a sense of how Mayweather might deal with someone with more power, ignore the Pacquiao fight and look at Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, and Canelo Alvarez. The problem with those fights is that they were 8, 7, and 4 years ago respectively, but even so, it’s absurd to suggest that McGregor is anywhere in their league as boxers. Those who’ve seen McGregor in MMA will point out that he has amazing raw power, and he absolutely does. But this is professional middleweight boxing, and it’s not like Mayweather hasn’t seen power before. In fact, Mayweather has gotten clocked and he got clocked hard by Mosley in the first round. And as I’ve said previously, this is the stage of the fight where ‘wild shit could happen’. Mosley landed hard but Mayweather adjusted and started picking Mosley apart in the later rounds. Keep in mind that Mosley’s a professional boxer who knows how to defend himself from the waist up. McGregor can probably land a stiff punch like Mosley did, but Mayweather saved himself by tying up. Would McGregor know how to avoid a tie up? Would McGregor be able to withstand combinations in the later rounds the way Mosley did? Boxing survival instincts and tricks are different from MMA. The Miguel Cotto fight is analogous because it was one of Mayweather’s longest layoffs. Cotto is also about McGregor’s height and gets good leverage on his punches. He has good power. Mayweather struggled at times but was able to counter with some flurries and finished the fight well. Can McGregor defend against Mayweather’s counter the way Cotto did? Does he have the stand-up endurance Cotto had? Alvarez was Mayweather’s toughest opponent in recent years. But Alvarez, unlike McGregor, is a solid boxer. He knows how to box, to use combinations, and to defend himself against flurries. He knows how to jab and set up a jab followed by a straight right/left. Does McGregor know how to do this effectively? Does he know how to use the ring? Alvarez is a pretty close approximation to McGregor in both size and power, and he is far superior in terms of boxing skill. And he lost a majority decision. For McGregor to win, he will have to land a shot like Mosley’s but so fucking hard that Mayweather has no chance to recover. It could happen - McGregor is a beast. But the odds are against it. More realistically, I could see McGregor confusing Mayweather and perhaps even using his aggression to confuse, frustrate, and intimidate him in the first 2-3 rounds. But once Mayweather gets comfortable, once he eats a little bit of McGregor’s leather and feels confident he can survive, then he’ll go on the attack. About those 8 ounce gloves. They might work to McGregor’s favor, but it’s also possible that Mayweather _wants_ the lighter gloves. He’s a 40 year-old man. Lighter gloves means more hand speed to compensate for the speed he has lost with heavier gloves. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/113 "2017-08-27T01:44:20Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > This is a great fight to bet on Mayweather, lots of sentimental money going on McGregor. The odds still favor Mayweather but near as much as they should be reflecting it. McGregor is really in a can’t-lose situation here, isn’t he? I mean, yes, he can _literally_ lose – in which case folks will say “well, that’s what the oddsmakers figured all along, since Mayweather spent decades practicing the skills that get arbitrarily rewarded in an Only Punches Allowed competition; likewise, in a fight where kicks and grappling were allowed, McGregor would’ve won easily.” But if McGregor somehow wins, that’s, what, “huh, the guy who’d kick and grapple for the win if this had been a real fight can _also_ get the win a punching contest? Wow, what an interesting piece of trivia! I guess the oddsmakers were wrong!” By contrast, Mayweather – wins because it’s not MMA, or loses? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/114 "2017-08-27T02:03:55Z")
If McGregor wins, the white nationalists are going to apeshit and destroy the internet. This is one of the most racially-loaded fights I can remember since Holmes-Cooney, and I’m old enough to remember white men saving their load for the outcome of that fight. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/115 "2017-08-27T02:59:37Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > This is a great fight to bet on Mayweather, lots of sentimental money going on McGregor. The odds still favor Mayweather but near as much as they should be reflecting it. I was reading a preview of the fight on Betfair. It contained this comment: > [@](#): > > The casual betting money will pour in globally for McGregor but this looks a classic matchup of the professional vs the amateur. In the boxing ring and in the betting ring. > > Professional punters will support the 49-0 Mayweather at once in a career odds whilst the casual observer will emotionally (and financially) support the underdog. Elsewhere he noted: > [@](#): > > To show just how surprising Floyd’s current odds are, let’s reflect on the super fight with Manny Pacquiao. Their biggest purse in boxing history matchup, which will be eclipsed by this fight on August 26th, pitted the two best fighters of their generation against each other. The timing of the fight wasn’t ideal but Pacquiao had as good a chance as anyone of beating the undefeated Mayweather. > > Yet Mayweather’s odds were as short as $1.30 at some points during the lead up. Floyd eventually drifted, hitting $1.65 as the fight date approached, but it’s unfathomable to think that Conor McGregor at one point had as much chance as Manny Pacquiao. McGregor has never boxed while Pacquiao is a boxing immortal. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/116 "2017-08-27T03:02:13Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > McGregor is really in a can’t-lose situation here, isn’t he? > > I mean, yes, he can _literally_ lose – in which case folks will say “well, that’s what the oddsmakers figured all along, since Mayweather spent decades practicing the skills that get arbitrarily rewarded in an Only Punches Allowed competition; likewise, in a fight where kicks and grappling were allowed, McGregor would’ve won easily.” > > But if McGregor somehow wins, that’s, what, “huh, the guy who’d kick and grapple for the win if this had been a real fight can _also_ get the win a punching contest? Wow, what an interesting piece of trivia! I guess the oddsmakers were wrong!” > > By contrast, Mayweather – wins because it’s not MMA, or loses? The best thing for McGregor to do would simply put up a good appearance of a fight while protecting his body as much as he possibly can. Then collect a huge paycheck and go home. The 1# priority should be injury-avoidance. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/117 "2017-08-27T03:50:38Z")
I keep hearing there may be a delay due to PPV issues. Not to another date, certainly? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/118 "2017-08-27T04:06:02Z")
I’m going to have to go to bed before long. What event starts after midnight on the east coast? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/119 "2017-08-27T04:07:56Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I’m going to have to go to bed before long. What event starts after midnight on the east coast? Don’t worry, it won’t likely last very long. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/120 "2017-08-27T04:10:14Z")
I heard they’re just walking in the ring now?? Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843/121 "2017-08-27T04:27:44Z")
Way to let everyone down tonight, pirate link spammers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayweather-vs-mcgregor/787843.md?page=7)