Earlier this week (June 14, 2017), it was announced that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had finally come to terms on a deal that would make their often talked about super fight a reality.
(Article by Michael Henken)
After months and months of speculation, the two stars will face off in a 12-round boxing match contested at 154-pounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 26, 2017.
Due to the fact that McGregor, the UFC’s lightweight champion, has never competed in a professional boxing match, many feel as if his bout with Mayweather, an undefeated former five division world champion, will be a one-sided affair in favor of the man dubbed “Money”.
In fact, many feel as if the bout simply won’t be an entertaining one. And yet it’s likely that when all is said in done this fight will land amongst the biggest in the history of combat sports.
The reasoning for that is Mayweather vs. McGregor is more than simply a fight between the best boxer of his generation and one of the best mixed martial artists in the world.
It’s a bout between two promotional geniuses. Since bursting onto the scene in 2013, McGregor has become a mega star. The “Notorious” one is without question the biggest star in UFC history and it shows, as he’s headlined four of the top five best-selling pay-per-views of all-time, per tapology.com.
He’s reached such a level of stardom through of course his fighting skill, but primarily due to is promotional skills. The Irishman is brash and outspoken, while using a unique style of trash talk that simply belittles his opponent.
In addition, McGregor possesses an unparalleled sense of self-belief. He has been nicknamed “Mystic Mac” due to his knack for calling his shot. It’s not uncommon for McGregor to predict his future. After all, he’s been saying that his next fight would be against Mayweather for months now.
In regards to the fight, McGregor is fully convinced that he’s going to win and by the time the opening bell sounds, he will likely have convinced a plethora of fight fans that he is indeed going to do so, or he’ll at least have garnered enough attention to draw in pay-per-view buys.
Mayweather, on the other hand, is one of the best self-promoters in the history of boxing. Adopting the “Money” persona years ago, he set a blue print on how to sell a fight, and it shows in the fact that his fighting style is often criticized, yet his pay-per-view numbers are often through the roof.
For reference, Mayweather has headlined the top three best selling pay-per-views in the history of boxing, with his 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao, which generated a staggering 4.6 million buys, holding the all-time pay-per-view record.
The former pound-for-pound king is a natural in terms of selling a fight, and this time around, he’ll have a talented dance partner to take some of the weight off of his shoulders.
In the end, a fight is a fight. No one can for sure say how it’ll turn it out once it’s all said in done, but those that expect it to be a snooze fest likely have a point. But, those who share that sentiment will also likely buy the fight, and that’s due to the promotional skills of Mayweather and McGregor.
To put it in simpler terms, a fight many expect to be lackluster may just end up being the biggest fight of all-time.
