Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor predictions? Five boxing writers chime in at Boxing News and Views ahead of Saturday’s fight.
Have you ever asked a question but you already know exactly what the answer is going to be?
Well here goes, not to state the obvious, but on the 26th of August in a little known boxing backwater called Las Vegas that will play host to an even less known boxing bout, Conor McGregor will be dropped off at the imposing gates of the T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, for his first day at boxing school.
Here at Boxing News and Views we have asked a collection of boxing writers to lay their reputations on the line and predict the outcome.
John Gatling, boxing writer, USA.
It’s difficult to pick against Mayweather for obvious reasons. I mean, this is a 40 year-old Sugar Ray Robinson against a modern John L. Sullivan from MMA.
McGregor should lose very badly, but something tells me he won’t. Despite his filthy promotional mouth, he leads a very clean and good life with a great woman underneath him.
Mayweather is loveless, selfish and insecure.
Conor preys on **** like this. Besides, Floyd is the past and has a date with karma. F*** it, I’m going Mac to make cheese out of May in eight.
Chris Henderson, boxing author, USA.
As much as any hardcore boxing fan, I myself laughed at thought of this when the rumors began swirling around boxing circles that this fight might happen.
Well…
Here we are several months later and guess what? Yeah, it is happening. As a journalist covering the sport I have been asked many times over the last 60 plus days to give my thoughts and predictions for this bout.
First off, this fight is taking place in a boxing ring under boxing rules and nobody over the last 20 years has competed better in this situation than Floyd Mayweather.
Period.
Conor is the proverbial fish out of water here and we all know what happens to fish on dry ground, right?
Here goes nothing; I see this fight starting at a slower pace than most think. Floyd is first and foremost a tactician in the ring and whether Conor has fought professionally or not he is different than anyone else Floyd has faced.
By the 3rd to 4th round this fight should by all means become target practice for the man they call ‘Money’.
I honestly can’t see this fight lasting past rounds 8-9 without either eeferee Robert Byrd stopping it or McGregor’s corner realizing their fish is about to drown.
Ronnie Johnson, boxing writer, USA.
It is just unfathomable to me that McGregor has any real chance in this fight, outside of a one punch KO miracle early in the fight.
Even a past his prime Mayweather should be able to deal with anything McGregor can bring to the table.
He will have some awkwardness, youth, and power, but after Mayweather studies him for the first few rounds, I imagine we will see a lot of trademark jabs to the body designed to gas McGregor out.
As McGregor slows down, Mayweather will take more and more liberties until he is basically teeing off on a gassed McGregor.
There have been bigger upsets in boxing, but not many, if McGregor were to pull it off – wow.
But I just can’t see it happening. Mayweather TKO in the 9th for me.
Danny Ninyamin Rahman, UK .
I believe McGregor will be aggressive for the first 3-4 rounds.
Based on what I’ve seen of his training, Conor has not employed boxing coaches but seems to have concentrated fight preparations with fitness trainers to gear his stamina and fitness for a boxing match over 12 rounds.
In my opinion after five or six rounds he will be gassed making him a sitting duck – at which point Floyd will be hitting him at will.
Round after round until either Conor is stopped, the ref stops it or his corner throws in the towel.
This is of course dependent on Floyd not being his usual ultra-safe self. Mayweather TKO in the 9th round is my prediction.
Gavin O’Connor, boxing writer, UK.
I can only see this fight going one way.
Conor will come out of the blocks with speed, aggression and power and completely surprise the older man – punching straight through Mayweather’s famous defence, knocking the previously unbeaten fight out of him with a massive left and in doing so – delivering a KO blow to the whole of boxing.
Wait a minute, who am I kidding?
Despite Mayweather’s claim that he will to be aggressive and fight fire with fire and give the fans what they want, it will not happen.
Floyd will stick to his tried and tested script of defence and safety first style on way to a unanimous decision and boxing will collectively exhale a sigh of relief.