Sports Then and Now

Conor McGregor took most of the big hits during his battle with Floyd Mayweather.

Las Vegas’ T-Mobile arena saw Floyd Mayweather surpass Conor McGregor with a tenth round stoppage on Saturday, and win the money spinning super fight, alongside clinching the 50^th straight victory of his extraordinary career.

Mayweather Took His Time on Saturday

Mayweather, as a former welterweight boxing champion, emerged from a retirement spanning two years to face the Irish MMA superstar, and took his own sweet time to get the fight started. After the fourth round began, however, his domination was complete.

The end of the fight saw an exhausted McGregor doubled over the ropes and Mayweather landing two hard left hooks, an action which prompted ref Robert Byrd’s intervention, and his call of a technical knockout.

Mayweather Remains Complimentary about McGregor

Mayweather stated that McGregor impressed him, and that the Irishman was far better than he had imagined he would be. He went on to say, however, that although McGregor was a tough competitor, he had been the better man that night.

The Slow Going a Deliberate Move

Mayweather said that he had purposefully taken his time as the match began, since he knew that this would allow him to take full advantage of the fatigue he predicted McGregor would be battling.

In accordance with many of the punters that partook of the online betting NZ and the rest of the world provided, Mayweather was certain that McGregor would be unable to go the distance, and he was proven correct, as the tenth round revealed.

Compliments from McGregor As Well

Although McGregor did suggest that the fight should have carried on, he also praised the clinical tactical display by Mayweather, and specifically mentioned the latter’s composed style of fighting. He ruefully pointed out that this kind of control is likely what 50 fights would give.

The Explosive Finale to a Much-Hyped Contest

The finale was a suitably explosive one, and a fitting end to the much-hyped bout, which proved astonishingly competitive in the early rounds, with McGregor landing a number of scoring punches as the bell rang and the showdown began.

As soon as Mayweather found his range, however, and McGregor’s weariness started becoming as significant a factor as it did, it became clear which of the two would be taking the belt. Mayweather’s better understanding of the psychology of the sport stood him in good stead, and in the end endurance won out.

Mayweather scored after the fourth round, in moves which saw McGregor’s head snapping back with stinging blows. The latter survived the onslaught, surprisingly, until the seventh round, which saw Mayweather’s right counter stagger him. His resistance finally broke in the tenth round, and Mayweather’s right hook sent the fighter lurching across the boxing ring, where a hard left and another hook left him helpless.

McGregor’s First Boxing Experience Went as Expected

Although this fight followed a widely predicted script, McGregor’s first boxing appearance was by no means an embarrassing one. But, as Mayweather himself pointed out, a win is a win, and he is now headed into permanent retirement with a perfect record of 50 – 0, along with a paycheck of around US$200 million.