Put your money on ‘Money’
Floyd 鈥淢oney鈥� Mayweather Jr. and 鈥淭he Notorious鈥� Conor McGregor step into the ring Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 12-round bout is in the super welterweight (154 pounds) division, and both fighters will wear lighter, eight-ounce gloves.
Mayweather, who had retired in Sept. 12, 2015, after defeating Andre Berto by unanimous decision, steps back into the ring looking to improve on his 49-0 record.
McGregor, who is the current UFC Lightweight Champion, has never participated in a professional boxing match, but is confident heading into the bout.
Both fighters went on a tour to promote the fight in different cities, and many wonder if the match will live up to the hype.
I polled three area residents associated with boxing or MMA as trainers or fighters, and they all gave Mayweather the upper hand.
Boxing trainer and Adah native Tom Karpency Sr. has seen plenty of fights in person and on TV, and believes Mayweather will defeat McGregor in dominant fashion.
鈥淚 think Floyd (Mayweather) will win this fight and it鈥檚 probably going to end within six rounds,鈥� said Karpency, who trains his three sons, Tommy, Jeremiah and Dan. 鈥淔rom what I see and have been hearing, Mayweather is going to bring the fight to (Conor) McGregor.
鈥淗e is going to gauge McGregor鈥檚 power the first few rounds, then he will start to walk McGregor down. That will allow McGregor to get some shots in, but people fail to realize how good of a chin Mayweather has.鈥�
The pressure is on Mayweather to defend his sport, as many mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters have counted out pugilists.
Tommy believes Mayweather is an overwhelming favorite.
鈥淚f McGregor beats Mayweather, it would not only be the biggest upset in the history of boxing, but in sports overall,鈥� Tommy said. 鈥淔loyd is probably the best fighter in the last 30 years and in the discussions of being the greatest fighter of all time.鈥�
There are questions in regards to age and ring rust for Mayweather, as McGregor, 29, is 11 years younger than 鈥淢oney,鈥� and the Grand Rapids, Michigan, native hasn鈥檛 been in the ring for nearly two years. Tommy doesn鈥檛 believe any of that will make a difference.
鈥淔loyd has fought far more skilled boxers than Conor, and they couldn鈥檛 touch him,鈥� Tommy said. 鈥淚t is not going to be competitive. I am going to watch the fight but I know what the outcome will be.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he will knock him out or go the distance, but Mayweather will do what he wants. Other than the first round, when he will be pumped up and running on adrenaline, McGregor won鈥檛 be able to get close to Mayweather, who is always patient in every fight. McGregor will get tired and not know what to do. I doubt McGregor even gets in a good punch, but if he does, Mayweather has a good chin.鈥�
Laurel Highlands grad and Uniontown resident Nick Browne is undefeated at 7-0 as a professional MMA fighter, but didn鈥檛 go with the UFC star.
鈥淔loyd (Mayweather) will win because it is a straight boxing match,鈥� Browne said. 鈥淥bviously, it would be much different if they were fighting in an MMA bout. Floyd (Mayweather) rules the sport of boxing.
鈥淚 have heard people say about how one punch can change everything, but 49 other guys have had the chance to do that against Floyd (Mayweather) and lost. He is prepared, in great shape and ready to go. Floyd (Mayweather) has had plenty of time to get ready for this fight.鈥�
For what it鈥檚 worth, I think Mayweather will have an easy time with McGregor. However, in any other discipline, McGregor wins easily. I guess we will have to see if 鈥淢oney鈥� wants to step inside the cage.
Only time will tell.
缅北禁地 writer Jonathan Guth covers combat sports for the 缅北禁地. Please email him at jguth@heraldstandard.com for any story suggestions.