Sports fans everywhere have been practically forced to tune into the hype surrounding the upcoming Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match, which will take place on Saturday, August 26th. With Mayweather defending his undefeated streak and McGregor looking to solidify his name in the fighting game as one of the all-time greats, promos and tours have been conducted to sell the fight to make it as big of a spectacle as can be.
With this, there has come the ever enjoyable trash talk between competitors to spice up the bout. Me, being a sports fan and, decent trash talker if I must say so myself, tuned into the hoopla and noticed something said that fell under the radar. Two weeks ago, (yes these days, that might as well be considered a year), Mayweather stated that McGregor stole his blueprint of being a rich braggart, but unlike him, has been praised and not criticized nor “hated on” by fans because he is white. I’m definitely not one to disagree with the fact that minorities are much more highly critiqued and punished for the same crimes white people commit, but to play the race card in this instance, is “blasphemous” to quote Stephen A. Smith.
Some point out the fact that McGregor came from nothing and fought his way up, but Mayweather followed a similar route. His dad was imprisoned when he was 16, and his mother was a drug addict. While, McGregor grew up poor in Dublin, living off of welfare at one point so he could train. Though, I suppose, to lend a bit of bias into the matter, Floyd grew up surrounded by boxing, with his father being a former pro-boxer and his uncles following suit. Even his grandmother told him to pursue it. McGregor became a plumber for a short time, following his father’s profession before wanting to train in MMA, a desire which was initially triggered after he was beaten up by a group of boys when he was a young lad. But I digress, for it is not that which makes Mayweather’s point unjustified; his career as a boxer, entailing his actions both in and out of the ring, is why he gets hate.
As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the ’96 Olympics and as a professional boxer, Mayweather has a record of 49-0, winning championships in 5 different weight classes. According to Forbes, as of December of 2016, he has a net worth of $340 million, making $240 million on his second to last fight against Manny Pacquiao alone. In addition, he has 26 knockouts and at the age of 40, will compete against a 29-year-old MMA fighter and is projected to surpass the billion-dollar mark in career winnings after his next fight. However, though having 26 KO victories, the last one came 6 years ago, when he punched Victor Ortiz in the face after Ortiz gave him a hug after being penalized, a victory which came with heavy controversy. The one before that came in 1999. Moreover, he has been charged multiple times for domestic violence and battery, with one instance occurring after allegedly beating his wife in front of his children for texting with NBA player C.J Watson.
Yes, Mayweather has had a ton of success, but much of it has been a bore to the fans, often winning by decision in the last 18 years of his career, which to boxing fans, isn’t worth the PPV cost they have to pay. Not to mention, he insulted 80-year-old Larry Merchant during the interview after his victory against Ortiz for calling his knockout a cheap shot and then-ESPN anchor Brian Kenny that same year after being criticized for not fighting Manny Pacquaio, a fight he also ended up winning via decision. With all this mixed together, Mayweather still finds the time to flaunt his money and properties to the fans. Fans want to see the sport for the action-packed moments and look to these athletes as a sense of inspiration, something McGregor has tried to fulfill, with apparent prior knowledge of it.
‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor has a record of 21-3, winning belts in 2 weight classes in two different promotions. According to Forbes, his net worth as of June is $34 million. As the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, and former UFC Featherweight Champion, 18 of his victories have ended in either KO or TKO, with only one via submission and two by decision. Not to mention, in almost every fight since 2015, he’s been calling his victories, including his last fight against Eddie Alvarez, where he stated he’d knock him out and have two belts on his shoulders, which he ended up doing.
Unlike Mayweather, when interviewed in his most recent loss last year, to Nate Diaz, McGregor stated he lost fair and square, only critiquing the possible weight advantage Diaz may have had before reiterating how and why he lost. Now, yes, McGregor trash talks and states his case for victory, but as everyone knows, it’s a mind game for the fighter and the fans. As a fighter, obviously you want to win, but it’s a business as well, so you want to sell tickets and you want to entertain to the best of your abilities. Unlike the WWE, it’s not scripted, so a fight can go any way, including being unbelievably boring and having your win become forgettable, making you, as a fighter, less marketable, which can keep you at a pay rate you want to see increase or have your value diminish completely.
Fast-forward back to the present, where this bout is being hyped, and you’ll see it’s been more of the same with both. Recent news has stated Mayweather owes tax money to the IRS, and has potentially taken the fight to pay it off, because he knows he’ll get a lot of money out of it, despite saying it was for the fans. During their “world tour” where they trash talked and promoted the fight, McGregor called him out on it, and referenced other things about Floyd’s personal life, including wearing an old CJ Watson Golden State Warriors jersey, even noting he’s not much of a NBA fan when called out by current Warrior Draymond Green. Both flaunt their money, but McGregor simply does it better, despite making less. During their promos, Mayweather just repeats himself over and over, not saying much about how he’s going to win, whereas McGregor has stated he will knock Floyd out within 4 rounds.
Though racism exists, I think it’s a minor aspect in regards to people hating on Floyd and praising McGregor, despite both showing off their goods and flaunting their success. One guy has done so taking advantage of the rules of the sport and getting victories fans wanted to see happen differently, while the other has lost, yes, but when he’s won, has always tried to do so in spectacular fashion. Moreover, one guy solely walks the walk while the other tries to add his talk into the mix to engage people; he wants controversy and he wants to get in the head of his opponent as well. At the end of the day, clearly these both are all about the money, but McGregor has engaged the fans in the process, while Mayweather seemingly uses them to achieve his financial success, as shown in the way he achieves the majority of his wins once fight night arrives. Let’s hope the 26th is more of a fight than a snooze fest.
