Though it initially started out as a publicity ploy, the Mayweather-McGregor farce continues apace - to the point that many fans and scribes alike have simply accepted that the fight will inevitably happen.
Boxing fans have, by and large, turned their noses up at a contest which does little but embarrass their sport, while their MMA-loving cousins remain intrigued as to what their flagship fighter can do - if anything - versus a boxing great in 'Money' Mayweather [49-0, 26KOs].
Truth be told, it doesn't matter what anybody thinks of the contest; if both fighters find a way to make it happen, then it's going to happen. And it's going to make a metric shit-ton of money.
HBO's boxing analyst Max Kellerman has been left with no choice but to take the prospective bout relatively seriously. Speaking to the LA Times, Kellerman explained why he believes a fight between boxing's former pound-for-pound king and the UFC's two-weight world champion will come to fruition.
Yes. It’s an issue of money. Here, Mayweather’s M.O. has been to maximize reward and minimize risk. It’s a business strategy. And what could be lower risk than McGregor for more reward?
From McGregor’s point of view, where can he make more money than fighting Floyd? Of course he’s certain to lose in a boxing ring, but, so what? He’s not a boxer.
Kellerman, whose analysis of his beloved boxing has propelled him into the position of one of America's most respected sports broadcasters, was on the mic for Gennady Golovkin's World middleweight title defence against Danny Jacobs at Madison Square Garden last Saturday.
There, popular boxing promoter Lou DiBella ranted to the assembled boxing media that the UFC won’t allow McGregor to trade leather with Mayweather because his inevitable one-sided loss would damage the company’s brand, which remains the UFC's no.1 priority following its $4-billion purchase by WME/IMG last July.
Kellerman, however, disagrees that defeat - however embarrassing - would damage either McGregor or the UFC's image. He also explained why it makes more financial sense for the fight to take place in the squared circle as opposed to the octagon.
It’s a huge pay day for Conor, and it increases brand awareness because it’s a global event.
He’s not a boxer. We all know … Floyd would have zero percent chance in an octagon to beat Conor McGregor. Conor has zero percent chance in the ring to beat Floyd. And there’s no such thing as a hexagon where you can split the difference.
So why in a boxing ring? Floyd can generate more money. He’s the bigger draw and is not under a labor contract. … He’s an independent contractor. He can keep more money and can therefore offer Conor more money than anybody else.
The global event raises awareness, and if Conor loses, who cares? It’s like LeBron James not being able to hit Clayton Kershaw’s fastball. No kidding; he’s not a baseball player.
On last week's MMA Hour, former McGregor conqueror Joe Duffy of Donegal - who amassed a 7-0 professional boxing record while on hiatus from MMA, admittedly versus poor opposition - told Ariel Helwani that a boxing match between the pair would heavily favour the boxer.
Yeah, no shit.
I feel that Floyd is probably used to being in there with bigger hitters than Conor. Them boxers really do hit. But, down to on the scorecards, I really don’t (think Conor has a chance). I really feel it’s a landslide towards Floyd.
He’s one of the best of all-time. How he made (Manny) Pacquiao look, Pacquiao is one of the best boxers we’ve seen in a long time. I think that just proves the level he’s at. Canelo (Alvarez) is probably a bigger hitter than Conor, and how [Mayweather] boxed him, it’s different. It’s different.
It takes a while to get into the sport and to get up to par, and I think if (McGregor] pursued boxing for a long time, I think he could’ve done very well in it, definitely. But Floyd’s been doing this since he was a child, and I really just can’t see it going any other way
One can only hope that we'll be put out of our misery soon.
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