Mayweather to beat McGregor, but best part of fight likely to only be during the run-up

SINGAPORE - Whether you believe it’s a fun fight or fairground freak show, few will dare to miss what happens when Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Junior fight each other in a boxing ring on Aug 26.

As well as being a clash between two brash showmen, this contest will also fire up millions of supporters from the ever-jousting worlds of mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing to decide which discipline can crow about itself as king.

But even the most ardent fans would be foolish to expect a definitive answer that will be accepted by the losing side.

We know a boxer’s craft can be legally employed inside an MMA cage, but the limitations imposed when the action is transported to a boxing ring will mean McGregor is at an immediate, and distinct, disadvantage.

The Irishman will not be able to kick, grapple, elbow and choke. He will also be wearing bigger gloves and boots on his feet.

They may not immediately seem like his biggest hurdles, but the gloves will alter his established patterns of defence while the new footwear will affect his balance and ability to generate leverage with his punches.

The 28-year-old Dubliner is not a complete stranger to boxing, thanks to a decent stint as a junior amateur while he was a teenager. He knows how to throw punches, and has built much of his reputation in MMA on his striking skills.

At the very least, that gives McGregor’s fans a sliver of hope for glory in his audacious challenge.

Yet, he will not just be meeting any old punch-drunk pugilist in this curious battle.

Mayweather is a master boxer and some would even agree with his self-appointed moniker of The Best Ever.

Even though he is now 40 years old and hasn’t fought since outpointing Andre Berto in September 2015, the American had successfully repelled every challenge during a 49-fight professional boxing career.

That includes a long list of vanquished rivals topped by Manny Pacquiao but which also includes Canelo Alvarez, Oscar de la Hoya and Miguel Cotto.

The Pacquiao fight, in particular, is a fair gauge of the task awaiting McGregor.

Pacquiao built his reputation in boxing as an explosive dynamo but was made to look like an uninspired plodder by Mayweather, whose safety-first defensive skills neutralised the Filipino’s attack.

Mayweather once again showed that night that he has little concern for what is generally accepted as entertainment to methodically shut down an opponent while pot-shotting his way to victory.

His skills are sublime and technically excellent, yet are also completely at odds with his out-of-the-ring bling and bluster.

That is one area where McGregor can match him, and will be pivotal in the marketing of this bout.

While the two trade insults, barbs and flash their jewellery at each other at every opportunity, the public’s gaze will be fixed upon them.

It will be vapid nonsense but also perfect for the bite-sized digestion demanded by the undiscerning eyes of social media.

For a considered view of what will occur when the bell rings, we must look beyond the bright lights and the concocted cacophony.

McGregor has never fought professionally as a boxer, and he will be in against a man who has hardly ever been hit by a clean punch in 387 rounds.

Mayweather excels in two techniques: the defensive shoulder roll to protect his chin, and the check hook that stops aggressive rivals from lunging in.

Against McGregor, these tools should make it an easy night for him.

This is not to disparage McGregor as a fighting man, for he possesses rare skills himself.

If the pair were to meet in an MMA cage under his rules, then Conor would likely dominate in a similar fashion, just as Randy Couture embarrassed world champion boxer James Toney in a crossover contest in 2010.

But here we are, facing a fight that may not be a fair contest but still contains enough appeal to be a huge success.

One man eagerly looking forward to the showdown is Singaporean professional fighter Syafiq Abdul Samad, who has fought both as a boxer and in mixed martial arts and is currently recovering from knee surgery while on National Service.

“Mayweather has to be favoured because of his experience and counter-punching style, which make him almost impossible to hit even when he is on the ropes,” said Syafiq, who plans to be involved full-time with the Bushido Fight Academy in Koon Seng Road when he completes his national service in July.

“But, you never know, anything can happen in fighting whether it is in boxing, MMA or anything else and McGregor has a lot of power in his straight left hand which has knocked out plenty of elite-level fighters.

“He has a chance to do it, but I believe it will be a mundane, smart and technical fight where both men will be very cautious of each other and throw only calculated punches.

“If it was MMA, then 100 per cent, McGregor would win but, like this, it’s all in Mayweather’s favour.”

So the scene is set, and now we must all wait to see.

The nagging suspicion is that the best part of this unusual match could happen long before the pair actually trade punches for the hundreds of millions of dollars it will generate no matter what the outcome.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TODAY’s guest boxing expert Julian Turner has covered fights from ringside in Europe, the US and Asia and interviewed many of the sport’s biggest names, including Manny Pacquiao twice. The former deputy sports editor of the Bangkok Post has also been a contributor to British weekly magazine Boxing News for more than 20 years.