Over the weekend, it was reported by several media outlets that retired boxer Floyd Mayweather and current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor have agreed to terms on a super fight. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but it got me thinking, what would a fight between the two actually look like?
For starters, it would be a boxing match because McGregor already got his boxing license in California and would have to get one in Nevada to fight Mayweather. Also, let's be honest with ourselves, Floyd wouldn't stand a chance against Conor in the octagon under MMA rules.
Now, let's look at the tale of the tape. McGregor, 28, is 5'9" with a 74" reach and is 21-3 in MMA. Mayweather, who will turn 40 in a few days, is 5'8" with a 72" reach and has a boxing record of 49-0. There is a significant age difference but everything else is "virtually identical," like former UFC play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg used to say.
The popular opinion is that the potential fight with be a con-job. Just a vehicle for both guys to make an incredible sum of money. Similar to the infamous Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight back in 2015 that took six years to make and was ultimately a huge disappointment in the ring. But, hey, both guys got paid handsomely!
Unfortunately, this potential fight would probably be similar to that one. Conor chasing Floyd all over the ring and Floyd running, ducking, and dodging as much as he possibly can. The only way for this fight to deliver is if Conor can get under Floyd's skin with his usual antics so that Floyd will abandon his game plan and start moving forward. Conor needs to rattle Floyd. Then and only then, would we see an entertaining fight featuring two fighters throwing haymaker after haymaker. And maybe, just maybe, we will see Floyd go down for the first time ever after a signature left hook from The Notorious One.
But, until then, we just have to expect disappointment and hope for a spectacle. In the meantime, we can enjoy the back and forth twitter jabs between the two.
