Mayweather vs. McGregor

Mayweather vs. McGregor

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Record: 49-0 26 (KOs)

Age: 40

Height: 5ft 7in

Weight: 149.5lbs

Stance: Orthodox

Reach: 72”

Conor McGregor

Record: 21-3 (18 KOs)

Age: 29

Height: 5ft 9in

Weight: 153lbs

Stance: Southpaw

Reach: 74”

Punch Count:

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Total Punches: 170 landed out of 320 thrown (53%)

Jabs: 18 landed out of 59 thrown (39%)

Power Punches: 162 landed out of 261 thrown (58%)

Conor McGregor

Total Punches: 111 landed out of 430 thrown (26%)

Jabs: 27 landed out of 98 thrown (28%)

Power Punches: 84 landed out of 332 thrown (25%)

The Public Imagination

There were many elements at play going into an event of this magnitude but what ultimately shapes and molds a fight all depends on capturing the imagination of the public. What is the back story of both fighters? Who’s “the bad guy” in the equation? What does the public expect to happen? What could happen? What do they WANT to happen?

The biggest selling point of this match-up was certainly the vaunted power of the UFC’s Conor McGregor. As in most contests involving a power puncher, fans salivated at what might be. With the flashy, brash Irishman being unafraid, more than a decade younger, larger and possessing one-punch power, the masses were enraptured with the possibility of a knockout.

Combat sporting events that effectively bridge the gap from hardcore fan to casuals, make the difference between an event just being popular and a full on mega-fight. Combining the established audiences of both the MMA and Boxing worlds easily paved the way for global attention from both fans and non-fans alike. The proverbial “What If” bounced across message boards and social media accounts as pundits, armchair analysts, fellow fighters and professional coaches all spoke their piece in speculating how this event would unfold. The fervor reached historic proportions through a multi-city press tour, adding machismo and trash talk to an anticipation that heightened with each tour date.

Another integral ingredient that certainly stirred the minds of the people was Mayweather himself. In the 2^nd half of his career, Floyd successfully segued his public persona into one that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in prizefight revenue by opting to wear the proverbial “black hat” and play the role of boxing’s villain. Ever since Mayweather’s 2007 bout with Oscar DelaHoya and HBO’s behind-the-scenes show, 24/7, fight goers have come in droves hoping to witness the moment the fighter formerly known as “Pretty Boy Floyd” and now turned “Money May,” would finally meet his pugilistic demise.

As ugly and uncomfortable as this particular aspect of reality might be, there were also racial undertones that assuredly drove zealous fandom and downright tribalism towards the event. America is a country conceived, birthed and raised in the blood of indigenous populations and the enslavement and exploitation of Africans. This sad fact would be soil from which our country would blossom and in present day America, there is no escaping the biggest elephant to ever stand in a room.

Be it spoken and acknowledged or subtle and subconscious, there’s often a tendency to gravitate towards fighters to whom we identify. Sometimes it’s through their style and maybe their personality or their region and ethnicity. Hell, sometimes it’s a stew of the sum total of these things. But among all the ways in which we identify ourselves, and in America for sure, the racial component is as inevitable as a rising sun.

Boxing has long held this country’s darkest shadows in tow as fighters of African descent were labeled with monikers ranging from everything from “Kid Chocolate” to the more insulting “Boston Tar Baby.” Black fighters were kept from even participating in title fights, called “yellow” and “cowardly” dating all the way back to (the very first Black Heavyweight Champion) Jack Johnson’s reign. Unfortunately, some of these very same ideas, stigmas and stereotypes still prowl the sewers of societal thinking. (Floyd himself has been labeled a “runner” and a “cherry picker” for more than a decade now even when the footage and history tells a completely different tale.) America still harbors a very deeply rooted, ill will towards Black athletes who muster the audacity to be bombastic and outspoken. Mayweather has successfully played the strings of that hate to the tune of close to one billion dollars in total career earnings, compiling a record of a perfect 50-0, much to the chagrin of naysayers, detractors and legitimate “haters.”

McGregor, like Manny Pacquiao before him, was yet another great hope in a long line of would-be conquerors to hopefully put the Black braggart in his place. A large contingent of would-be watchers were not so much McGregor (or MMA or Delahoya or Pacquaio or Hatton or Gatti) fans, as they were people who wanted nothing more than to see Floyd Mayweather beaten to submission. They didn’t care who owned the fists that would turn the trick as long as the deed was done and for some, the hypocrisy ran deep.

There were those who chastised and belittled Mayweather for his excessive spending and loquacious nature yet inexplicably heralded McGregor and the UFC for his essential Xerox copy of the Mayweather marketing blueprint. They’d claim their Irish descent or their preference for come forward fighters in their reasoning, even though McGregor is actually a counter fighter much like Mayweather. There was all manner of rhetoric to justify their open disdain, all of which swelled into the “perfect storm” and what would be billed the “Money Fight” came to fruition.

Strategy

Floyd Mayweather dispensed with his signature “Philly Shell” defensive stance (best suited for shoulder rolling, shooting pull-counter right hands and check left hooks) for the McGregor fight in order to live up to what he’d told both reporters and fans alike. To all who’d listen in the lead up, Floyd stated his plan to be more offensive than normal, he'd walk the larger McGregor down and “give the fans what they deserve” for the disappointing bout against Manny Pacquiao. Opting for a high guard, (one that allows a fighter to use a contact oriented, inactive guard while walking forward) Mayweather did indeed bring the fight to Conor, betraying a prevailing belief that the fight would be a game of “cat & mouse” with McGregor being the larger and presumably harder hitting man.

Conor McGregor looked to impose his own style, as opposed to try and re-invent himself as a pure boxer, and through the southpaw stance he probed with longer reach, set up jabs and threw left hand crosses. Contrary to what much of the crossover fans and public at large assumed about McGregor due to his crippling strikes in MMA, is that Conor is actually a counter fighter himself. While possessing the ability to stop his opponents, McGregor relies more on opponents coming to him, his speed, angles (and kicks when applicable) to set the table for power shots. Against Mayweather, he looked to use his size, cut off the ring and mount his offense. Much to Team McGregor’s credit, they realized (either during camp or as the fight unfolded) that loading up with power would only bleed energy against a difficult target. Instead, Conor tried to mix shorter / lighter shots in combination to offset Floyd’s offense and hopefully find a home for his best shot, the left cross.

How It Played Out:

If you’ve followed the career of Floyd Mayweather, few quotes should stand out in your mind more than the one he’s dropped so often: “I take ‘em to deep water and drown ‘em.” What this alludes to, for folks not in the know, is an overall strategy which utilizes the combination of slippery defense, pinpoint countering and superior conditioning. It’s fairly simple, as far as explanations go: Floyd is a hard target, which causes hesitation and fighters to miss their punches. Missed punches sap energy far more than landed shots and as rounds tick by, you tire. When you couple that with the accumulative damage inflicted by Mayweather, you eventually find a gassed, demoralized and bested fighter by night’s end. Sure, some fighters make it to the final bell and some don’t but what’s been proven 50 times now is that by the conclusion of a night’s dance with “Money May”, you will be the one worse for wear once the scorecards are read.

McGregor found out what forty seven other men discovered once they shared a ring with Boxing’s self-proclaimed “TBE” and that is that defeating him appears much easier from outside the ropes. Once Conor entered the ring, he was faced with a lifetime of experience, years of honed craft and a mind that has been enriched with the proper mechanics of true pugilism.

McGregor make a good attempt at using lighter shots in greater volume to keep Floyd off balance, covered in his high guard and unable to match the work rate. Floyd, opted to draw the bigger man’s fire by walking forward, especially after tasting his power through a hard left uppercut in the first round. Conor, believing in his ability to stop Mayweather, continued to pour on his offense, looking to set up his left cross. In Boxing though, fights are forty five minutes in length (including the sixty seconds between each round) where UFC championship fights are only thirty minutes long (with the same sixty second rest periods). The gloves Conor is used to weigh only four ounces, while the ones he faced Mayweather in were double that size, at eight ounces.

Another overlooked aspect depended on technique, specifically stance and guard. I posted a breakdown of this point on my page in the weeks leading up to the fight discussing the way Conor holds his guard. Coming from an extensive martial arts background myself and making my own transition into Boxing, I was acutely aware of the mistake McGregor makes (in regards to Boxing) from my own personal experience.

When McGregor holds up his hands, his elbows tend to stay several inches away from his ribs and that activates muscle groups such as the traps, shoulders etc. Holding your arms up muscularly bleeds energy as opposed to a more relaxed guard which allows the skeletal system to bear the weight and letting the muscles stayed relaxed. Bruce Lee used to discuss this, citing “antagonistic” muscle groups which are the opposing muscles that contract while the ones in use expand. The more muscular tension in play, the slower a given technique will be because you first have to relax the muscle in its current use then reassign it to its next endeavor. This eats up energy and slows down the overall speed of the practitioner. I repeatedly said in the lead-up that the potpourri of heavier gloves, a faster pace, a longer fight and wasted energy would make conditioning the number one reason why I never thought McGregor would see the final bell and that is exactly what happened. The cherry on top was on fight night, I called a stoppage for Mayweather between rounds 8 and 10. McGregor was stopped in the 10^th.