Wouldn’t put it past him.
Floyd Mayweather is expected to defeat Conor McGregor on August 26.
The oddsmakers believe that. Boxing experts believe that. And most of the rational public believe that.
But that’s not to say money isn’t coming in on the upset of all upsets because the Irishman’s odds of shocking the world have never been shorter.
‘The Notorious’ genuinely believes he can beat Mayweather in five weeks and while the majority reckon the UFC lightweight champion is out of his mind for fancying his chances in his boxing debut against the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
During last week’s promotional world tour, when both fighters were wearied by an exhausting media schedule, McGregor closed out his press obligations with a definitive prediction for how he will put his upcoming opponent to sleep. He said:
“In terms of a shot, I think it will be an uppercut. An uppercut or a hook wrapped around the temple.
“I think he’ll fall off a hook wrapped around the temple. Even if he catches it on the glove, it doesn’t matter. It will rattle his brain.”
McGregor is not the only one who feels the shock is on.
UFC President Dana White, who is acting as McGregor’s promoter throughout the fight-hyping process has claimed that he is backing the 29-year-old to the hilt.
White has proven that his word might not be worth taking at face value in the past but he made the case for how his fighter will get the best of ‘Money’ next month during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“You laugh but when you put two people anywhere – here or anywhere – and they start throwing punches, anything is possible,” White said.
“Floyd Mayweather is going to be 41 this year. If there is a chink in that armour, it has been with southpaws and Conor McGregor is a southpaw. He’s 29 years old and he hits like a truck. He’s got 12 rounds to land that punch. When he hits people they go down and if he hits Floyd, I think he will hurt him and when he hurts people, he puts them away.
“When they call boxing the sweet science… the first thing you learn is how to throw a jab, from the jab you learn the jab-right hand, then a hook, uppercuts, body.
“And normally when boxers fight boxers, there’s a system to it. You realise that if a guy’s throwing a jab, a right hand is probably coming after it.
“Conor McGregor will be completely unorthodox in his fight with Floyd Mayweather and it’s what makes the fight so intriguing.”
