Floyd Mayweather Jr., in a span of just a few seconds, did what he does best. First he put on a boxing clinic, scoring a 10th-round technical knockout over Conor McGregor in a highly-anticipated bout between the boxing superstar and mixed-martial arts champion. And then Mayweather jumped on the ropes, barking to the crowd and making sure everyone properly acknowledged what he’d just done.
The 40-year old undefeated fighter picked up his 50th career win, giving him one more than Rocky Marciano, the ring legend who retired with a 49-0 record.
The night’s biggest surprise wasn’t that Mayweather was the one lifting his hand in the end, but that the fight wasn’t the snoozefest many feared. McGregor was making his boxing debut but managed to take the fight to Mayweather early and absorb big punches late. It was a resounding loss for McGregor, the brash Irishman who predicted a second-round knockout, but not one that he’ll likely be embarrassed by.
“He was a lot better than I thought he was,” Mayweather said, speaking perhaps for much of the boxing world. “He used different angles. He was tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight.”
After months of hype and trash talk, when the gloves finally came on and the opening bell rung for what was billed as the most lucrative fight in combat sports history, Mayweather and McGregor promised to put on a show. To the surprise of many, they delivered.
As expected, McGregor was the aggressor early, taking the fight to Mayweather. He fired his fists like pistons, whereas the boxer seemed content to feel out his foe and wait for opportunities. Mayweather threw 28 punches total in the first three rounds, landing only 12.
“Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” Mayweather said.
By the fourth round, it was clear that McGregor wasn’t looking for just one big knockout blow; he intended to box and was actually scoring, thanks in part to Mayweather’s lack of offense.
“He’s composed,” McGregor said. “He’s not that fast, he’s not that powerful, but, boy, is he composed in there.”
The crowd, announced at 14,623, was a partisan one, clearly in McGregor’s corner, and they were excited that for those first few rounds, McGregor showed that he would be no pushover, regardless of his ring experience. That’s part of the reason UFC President Dana White likes to call him “the unicorn.”
Source: Washington Post
