The Joke of the Century

The highly anticipated bout between legendary boxer Floyd 'Money' Mayweather and MMA champion Conor McGregor is set to take center-stage August 26th in Las Vegas.

Remember a couple of years ago when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally entered the ring after years of build up and anticipation? We were all treated with a less-than-stellar, pitty-pat fight that was as predictable as the sky being blue, as Mayweather defeated his competitor by decision in a bout that was much more about the preliminary trash-talk and lead-in than the actual fight. Now, fast forward a couple of years and we are in a similar boat, except worse. After a year of negotiations and meaningless trash-talk, Mayweather and McGregor are slated to box on August 26th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Money May is expected to net approximately $100 million dollars from the fight, while McGregor will pull in somewhere around $75 million because of his UFC contract obligations. Between sponsorships, Pay-Per-View, ticketing and betting totals, the fight is going to be the largest grossing event in the history of either sport. Mayweather, the undefeated boxer who hasn't been in the ring since September 2015 when he unanimously defeated Andre Berto, will take on the two-weight UFC champion McGregor who hasn't boxed since he was 16 years old. It is a complete money-making event that will deepen the already massive pockets of both men involved. Mayweather would never have agreed to fight McGregor with UFC rules, so ,therefore, McGregor is at a decided disadvantage having to box instead of the fighting style he is accustomed to. This in and of itself is a reason why this fight should have no bearing on either man's career. You are taking two men from a separate sport and asking them to fight in one man's sport. This is like asking Tom Brady to beat LeBron James in a one-on-one pickup basketball game. Not much intrigue, right? Yes, people will pay the $100 Pay-Per-View fee and buy tickets to go to the 'event' (because that's what it is), but it will be purely out of curiosity and nothing more. Mayweather is already a heavy odds-maker's favorite at a -900 money line, with McGregor sitting as a heavy underdog at +600. There is and will be no intrigue and suspense in a couple of months time as these two get in the ring, as Mayweather will defeat McGregor by decision in his sport. He is arguably the best defensive boxer of all-time, and will utilize his quickness and foot-speed to outfox McGregor. McGregor will not be able to use his feet, take-downs or any type of submissions, therefore he will fall mercy to the rules of a sport he does not compete in. Money May will move to 50-0 and pass Rocky Marciano on the All-Time victories list, but with a major asterisk next to his name. So, yes, many will watch the fight out of pure curiosity, but they should title this bout as 'The Joke of the Century.'