Floyd Mayweather, JR. Vs Conor McGregor In Perspective

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Floyd Mayweather, JR. Vs Conor McGregor is finalized. So much will be said about this fight, and most of it already has been said. Indeed, it is a fight that lacks probity and reeks worse than a spoiled fish market. How can Floyd Mayweather, JR. say this is the only fight that makes sense to him? How can Las Vegas sanction this fight? Why is Dana White allowing McGregor, his meal ticket, an opportunity to get thoroughly beat up? Well, the answer is easy, dead presidents. Let us not kid ourselves, this sham is happening, because all of the powers that be stand to make more money than they would without this fight. A lot more money.

I know I am not exactly cracking The DaVinci Code by saying this, I say it, however, to remind everyone what this fight is a product of. Capitalism. Yes, folks, August 26th is a product of our capitalist system in the United States. If you love capitalism, and shun such questions like ‘how much money is enough?’ then how can you hate this fight? And this fight will break all PPV records. I already envision Ring Magazine calling this fight the event of the year for their year-end awards issue as well.

I am only wrong if nobody buys the fight. We all know the chances of that happening. The rhetoric all over social media, all the calls of boycotting, etcetera, will not be in keeping with the PPV sales. Dana White defends this fight by saying the fans want to see it. Prove him wrong. Also, if you brag about watching this fight illegally then you are more despicable than the circumstances of this fight. Watching illegal streams make you a criminal, Floyd, Conor and the like are entrepreneurs.

With all of this said, I do have personal issues with this fight. Am I going to buy the fight? If the undercard is worth it, then yes. I am that kind of boxing nut. However, what upsets me about this fight is two-fold.

First, this fight pushes Floyd Mayweather, JR.’s hall of fame induction by at least five more years. Can I be the only person upset by that? Overall, while I do have my fair share of criticism of him, I do admire Mayweather, JR. as a fighter. He is the best talent I have seen lace up the boxing gloves since Marvelous Marvin Hagler retired. I am really looking forward to Mayweather’s hall of fame weekend. Now, because of greed, we must wait.

Second, this fight is holding the UFC lightweight division hostage. While Floyd Mayweather, JR. was ‘retired’ from boxing, McGregor is the current lightweight champion. While Conor is training for the payday of the century, the lightweight division is virtually nonexistent in the UFC. The lightweight division is currently stacked with talented mixed martial artists, all wondering when they will earn a shot at McGregor’s crown.

Conor last fought in November of 2016, when he blitzed Eddie Alvarez in Madison Square Garden. That is way too long of a stretch without having a lightweight championship fight. The contributions from champions such as Jens Pulver, B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis earned a reputation for the lightweight division to be the perfect blend of skill and excitement. Yes, you can add Conor McGregor to that list.

Now Conor has other interests, which are detrimental to the title he worked so hard to win. If Conor McGregor wants to live out his fantasy as a boxer, it should not be at the expense of such a proud division. If we are lucky, Conor will defend his lightweight title late November or in December. The more conceivable outcome is that Conor will not fight in the UFC the rest of 2017. Will Dana White announce an interim lightweight fight in the meantime?

Other than these two circumstances, I am really not all in an uproar about this fight. To put in in perspective, three men who came from nothing, Mayweather , JR., White and McGregor will all make around 100 million dollars for one night of work. If that is not the American Dream full throttle, I do not know what is. It is especially fascinating for Conor, as he will make more money than he ever has before for a fight he stands no chance of winning by most sentiments.

Is the fight a joke? Sure. But is boxing not strong enough to withstand such a farce? Floyd Mayweather, JR. going 50-0 is not going to hurt the fabric or integrity of boxing one iota. We are talking about a sport that was once so controlled by the mob fighters could not get a title shot unless they played ball, fights were fixed on a regular basis; both judges and referees were on the take. If the sport withstood all that villainous behavior, August 26th is gravy.

As far as the UFC goes, there will still be plenty of PPV’s and fight night cards happening before and after August 26th. Bellator MMA also has some stellar mixed martial arts cards coming your way this summer and beyond. So, let us all relax and take a deep breath. Life in combat sports will go on, as will yours.

I have often heard this fight being compared to a circus. Well, the circuses I know are cruel and harmful to beautiful animals. And good riddance to all circuses. Floyd and McGregor are not harming any living creatures by fighting each other. They are just trying to maximize their bank accounts by utilizing their talents (both as fighters and salesmen). Do we not all try to do that? They are also providing us with a fight they feel we all want to see. There is a very simple way to prove them wrong, and it is not by belly aching on social media.

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