Looking at the bright side of Mayweather-McGregor superfight

In the Jan. 19 issue of The Cheney Free Press I wrote that a fantasy superfight between boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor was “a long way from happening.”

Well fight fans, since I last wrote in this space that fantasy is becoming a reality.

Mayweather will come out of retirement to face McGregor in a 12-round boxing match on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. According to a June 16 Forbes article, Mayweather is expected to make $100 million from the fight while McGregor is estimated to net at least $75 million.

Personally, I don’t know if I’m going to watch the fight that night, not because I have any objections to it but it’s my mother’s birthday and she’s not really into sports.

But the fight itself is intriguing. In one corner, you have Mayweather, who many consider the best boxer of his generation — perhaps of all time. Across the ring is McGregor, who has never had a professional boxing match.

There are some people who don’t think this fight should happen because of McGregor’s lack of professional boxing experience. While his chin has withstood some of the hardest hitters in MMA, he’s going to be in a different environment.

That said, I think you have to give him a puncher’s chance. McGregor, who is in the prime of his career, has the size and reach advantage. He’s also a southpaw and Mayweather has struggled against left-handed boxers throughout his career.

There are boxing purists and athletes who are ripping the fight, calling it a “freak show.” There’s no law that states an athlete has to have some combat sports experience before they compete in the ring or octagon.

Former WWE wrestler Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks fought in the UFC with no prior MMA experience. In 2009, baseball legend Jose Canseco competed in the DREAM Super Hulk (openweight) Grand Prix and lost in the first round.

Of course, there’s the legendary Muhammad Ali-Antonio Inoki fight similar that many say was a precursor to a mixed martial arts bout.

These “freakshow fights” aren’t common, but they grab the attention of fans and athletes alike. The McGregor-Mayweather bout is something that casual fans are talking about — which isn’t something you see with most boxing matches.

Others worry this fight will have a negative effect on boxing as a whole. Sure, it could be a bad night if you’re rooting for the athlete that loses this fight — but boxing itself will be just fine. Even if Mayweather loses to McGregor, there will still be athletes who will continue to pursue the Sweet Science as a career.

The middleweight title bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, who are considered two of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, will still happen. Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua won’t stop his quest to become the best fighter in his division. Prospects like Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams won’t hang up their gloves.

In fact, I think Mayweather vs. McGregor could do some good for boxing — at the very least it would generate some interest on the product and bring in people who are UFC and McGregor fans. If promoters are smart, they would feature some good fights on the undercard, perhaps a title bout or two or some fights featuring prospects who are rising up the ranks. Even if the main event was bad, people could say “at least the first few fights were good.”

And trust me, Mayweather vs. McGregor could be a stinker. Both athletes are known for their trash talking, so I have no doubt the verbal sparring between these two will make for a great build up. But there are times when the fight itself does not live up to the hype. The Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015 showed that even bouts with a lot of buildup can fail to live up to expectations.

But we can’t already make up our minds just because we don’t like either fighter or the idea of this match happening. I think as fans, we need to give this bout a chance. Who knows, it could end up being a slobberknocker.

Whether or not the fight is good, people will still talk about it for years to come.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.