The sports writers have written off Conor McGregor as a serious opponent for Floyd Mayweather. I haven’t.
The mistake most writers are making is a simple one; they think Conor McGregor is going to box Mayweather since this is billed as a boxing match. Nothing could be further from the truth – especially if McGregor follows a few simple principles that I am laying out.
This is not a boxing match. It is a mini-MMA match. That’s correct; McGregor is not going to try and outbox the 40-year old Mayweather; no one has been able to do that. Instead, the 29-year old McGregor is going to use the tools available in his MMA arsenal to subdue Mayweather and perhaps even stop him.
Again, remember Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old and hasn’t fought in two years. Most comebacks by fighters at this age end in failure (George Foreman being one of the exceptions).
Here’s how McGregor’s victory will work:
Whenever they clinch, McGregor will not break the clinch; instead he will twist and turn Mayweather’s arms, perhaps push up into Mayweather’s armpits. He can also put his head low and push it up Mayweather’s chin. Or McGregor can push hard and have both of them fall down, with McGregor on top landing a blow with foot or fist. McGregor can even apologize for such roughness but continue to do it anyway.
As they fall into a corner McGregor will lift his knee (just a bit) and give Mayweather kicks to his legs. Such kicks will slow Mayweather down. These kicks will not be noticeable to the ref who will be watching their arms.
Whenever Mayweather hides behind his left shoulder (a tactic he has perfected to avoid right hands), whether on the ropes or in the corner, McGregor will shoot a right hand, purposely miss, and quickly follow up with an elbow to Mayweather’s face as he brings back his right hand. Such elbows will cut Mayweather.
Only if Mayweather can actually hurt McGregor does he have a chance. I think McGregor can handle Mayweather’s punches. If he can, being a rough-tough son-of-a-bitch will give Conor McGregor the victory.
If he just tries to box, McGregor will lose. But if he uses mini-MMA tactics as shown above, he can knock Mayweather out!
[Frank Scoblete’s latest books are I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps, Confessions of a Wayward Catholic and I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack. Available from Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores.]