The Conor McGregor training footage released in the lead-up to his fight against Mayweather - both of his controversial sparring sessions with Paulie Malignaggi and his media workout - only confirmed that the Irish MMA star has no business whatsoever getting into a boxing ring not only with this particular opponent, but with any halfway decent professional, and indeed any top amateur. He is not just out of his depth, he is woefully out of his depth. He lacks speed, footwork, reflexes, and lateral movement, while his technique is that of precisely what he is - a rank novice. Thus this is not the greatest sporting event in history, as the overblown hype would have us believe, it is the greatest sporting con in history.
Why do people think Mayweather has requested 8oz gloves for the fight? It is because he knows he is up against an opponent who will be lucky to land a glove on him, and whom he will play with until he decides to bring this farce of a contest to a conclusion.
In fact the best and most competitive aspect of the fight is taking place now, before they even meet in the ring, with the trash talking and all of the controversy involving Malignaggi. Here, you do have to hand it to Conor McGregor; he is box office and does make for compelling viewing. This, rather than his boxing skills, is why we are getting this fight. Moroever, the way he left Paulie Malignaggi looking like a fool proves that he's no mug when it comes to mind games either.
Speaking of which, what did Malignaggi believe he was getting into in agreeing to work with the Irishman in the first place? You almost get the impression that the former world champion was looking to make friends with the guy, maybe see if some of his stardust might rub off on him. Whatever his reasoning, the fact he went into McGregor's camp fat and out of shape after being retired for four months bespeaks astounding arrogance suffused with idiocy. He made a mistake, got turned over for his trouble, and should have walked away and refrained from the verbal histrionics which he's engaged in day after day afterwards.
Whether it was a knockdown or a pushdown, whether Malignaggi got the better of him in or sparring or not, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that McGregor looked awful in those two video clips of him sparring Malignaggi, which does not bode well considering that those clips were obviously released because his camp believed he looked good in them. Are they having a laugh? During his media workout, he worked the heavy bag like a fitness guy who had decided to give it a go at the end of his regular workout to see how it felt. His technique was all over the place - hands far too wide apart, head static, every second punch an arm punch, hooks way too wide, reflexes and combinations slow and ponderous.
A mantra very much in vogue in the world of pro boxing nowadays is, "If it makes dollars it makes sense." Maybe so, but integrity is also important, and without it you merely hollow out the sport, shredding its credibility and damaging its reputation. Mayweather couldn't give a shit about any of that stuff, of course, and in his eyes why should he? In his eyes he is boxing, bigger than any fighter who's gone before, bigger than the sport itself. However for the rest of us mere mortals, boxing remains the noble art, the sweet science, the sport that more than any other provides a distillation of the human condition and a reminder of our evolutionary and primal roots. As such, boxing deserves better.
Mayweather vs McGregor has turned the sport into a circus and a freak show, wherein the emphasis is on creating a spectacle rather than on honest and true competition.
This fight is a disgrace to the sport and its history, to the legion of great warriors and champions that have gone before.
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