Conor McGregor will finally take on unbeaten boxing great Floyd Mayweather on tonight.
A group of boxing doctors gave a prognosis for Conor McGregor ahead of his megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday in Las Vegas ― and it isn’t a promising one.
The Association of Ringside Physicians, which consists of more than 100 doctors, told The New York Times that McGregor is overmatched and they are afraid “somebody’s going to get really hurt.”
“We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on,” the group’s president, Dr. Larry Lovelace, said. “The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody’s going to get really hurt in this upcoming fight.”
But Bob Bennett, executive director of the fight’s sanctioning body, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, hit back, telling the NYT that McGregor is “the taller, longer, stronger, more powerful opponent. He’s also a southpaw, which makes it a little more difficult for a conventional fighter. He’s 12 years younger than Floyd.”
But if we’re talking boxing experience, perhaps he isn’t safe. McGregor, 21-3 as a mixed martial artist in the UFC and now the organization’s lightweight champion, has never fought in a professional boxing match. Meanwhile, Mayweather has a record of 49-0 as a pro boxer. Earlier this month, leaked video appeared to show McGregor knocking down sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi, a former welterweight star in boxing, perhaps to ease doubts about his inexperience ― but that also served to tick off Malignaggi.In terms of age and rust, Mayweather hasn’t fought in nearly two years and he is indeed by far the elder of the pugilists, 40 to McGregor’s 29.
Oddsmakers are siding with the docs, though. It takes approximately a $400 bet to win $100 if you’re wagering on Mayweather (as Mayweather reportedly is), according to Bleacher Report.
Greg Jackson was not especially amused by the task at hand. Between training his fighters for actual, not theoretical bouts and an outside business working with military and law enforcement, Jackson is busy to the point of exhaustion. Though he loves a good puzzle, this one seemed like it was missing too many pieces to solve.
“On paper, there’s no way he can win,” Jackson says. “You have the best pro boxers, who trained their whole life, and couldn’t come close. You just have to hope that age could be the deciding factor. But [Mayweather’s] not the kind of fighter who ages poorly. He doesn’t have the mileage. A super offensive fighter who doesn’t have great defense—someone like Joe Louis—age catches up with you quick. Floyd’s defensive ability has kept him sharp. Even if his reflexes are gone, he’s so layered and smart. He’s a tricky puzzle.”
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