The proposed September fight between Floyd Making Money Mayweather and The Notorious Connor McGreggor almost definitely will not happen then, however it is too rich a fight not to happen at all.
The fight has captured the imaginations of boxing fans and MMA fans alike. If you haven't yet heard about this fascinating match up, then let me fill you in.
The Magic
Floyd Mayweather has always had an aura of magic around him, to many fight fans and pundits alike, he is the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. He has an unblemished career record of 49 wins 0 draws and 0 losses. This puts him on a level with the legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano.
However unlike Marciano, who only defended his title a few times, Mayweather has had numerous title challenges and defences. Not only has he never been defeated, he has also never been knocked down. Although that last fact is controversial, as his knee and right glove was on the canvas during his 2013 fight with Zab Judah, however the referee never called it.
Regardless of statistics, it is hard to argue with Mayweather's record. There is perhaps evidence that he ducked certain fighters in their prime, Manny Pac Man Pacquiao is a case in point. The fight was meant to take place in 2010, however due to overbearing contract demands from Mayweather, the fight didn't take place till 5 years later.
That fight was billed as "The Fight Of The Century", seeing as Pacquiao was considered the number 2 pound-for-pound boxer.
Whether or not the fight lived up to its billing is another story, however it increased Mayweather's stock and took him closer to the nice round number of 50 wins.
So what is the magic behind Mayweather's success? Like him or loathe him (and a lot of people loathe him), he has a style that 49 professional boxers have not been able to combat. He uses his speed and his lightning fast reactions to roll punches off his shoulder, whilst peppering his opponent with ultra fast, and super accurate punches.
The style isn't always pleasing to watch, however for the purist it is pure magic, as boxer after boxer who talks a big game, fails against his style and he just keeps Making Money.
The Movement
Conor McGregor is a professional mixed martial art (MMA) fighter, like Mayweather he hails from humble beginnings, however unlike the American boxer, he does not come from a fighting family. Indeed, he has told how his father, Tony McGregor, wanted him to take up plumbing, as it was a stable trade.
Luckily for him and all his fans, he decided to ignore his father's advice and carry on training as a kick boxer.
McGregor has been referred to as The Mayweather of MMA, however with a record of 21 wins and 3 losses, it is hard to justify that tag. Even though it can be justifiably argued that MMA is a tougher sport than boxing, with fewer forgiving rules.
What makes the Irishman so compelling, is his style, which at once can be called brash, thrilling and laconic. He uses a mixture of quick strikes from his hands and feet, and delivers them with a laid back fluidity that sometimes belies the fact that he's in a fight.
Like Mayweather, he likes to get inside the head of his opponent before a fight, but unlike the American who uses brash trash talk to wind up his opponent. McGregor uses subtle suggestion to lead his opponent into a warped mind field, of fear and loathing.
It can probably best be summed up like this; Mayweather's trash talk will have you coming out swinging wildly and emotionally, desperate to shut his big mouth.
While McGregor's talk will have you entering the ring doubting your own abilities, indeed that has been an entertaining side issue between the two men. With Mayweather saying things like "I don't fight between another man's legs, I fight like a real man."
McGregor has come back with "Of course he won't step into my world, I'd be scared if I were him, he would be destroyed in seconds, so I will have to step into his world."
Though for me, the fight, unlike a lot of the fights of both of these men, won't be won in the mind, it will be won in the ring.
McGregor has often hinted towards the fact that he believes in Bruce Lee's The only way is no way philosophy. That is to say he studies each of his opponents and decides on the style he will adopt to beat them.
What is more the Irishman is a student of movement, he competes on the side in Brazilian Jujitsu tournaments (BJJ) and studies gymnastics and ballet. In the last couple of years he has hooked up with Ido Portal to study movement training.
This is what I believe will give him the edge in the fight, for what he lacks in pure boxing experience, he makes up for in his studying of movement and pure unarmed combat.
One thing is for sure, Mayweather has never faced an opponent like him, and at 40 years old, having not knocked out anybody since he fought Victor Ortiz in 2011, I believe (controversially) that it is in fact Floyd Mayweather who is the underdog.
The Money
So will the fight happen? Dana White (Head of the UFC) recently announced that the UFC, who McGregor fights under, had messed up in getting the fight to take place in September of this year.
The fact is that there are a lot of politics to take care of, especially on the boxing side of things. Floyd Mayweather is extremely vain, and will want to make sure that not only he gets most of the money on offer, but also is deferred to in a way that he feels his greatness warrants.
He will want everything from his name to be announced first, to appearing bigger on the promotional posters. Whilst McGregor will just be happy to be in the ring with him.
The Mayweather/Pacquiao fight was a $400 million pay-per-view smash hit, with Mayweather getting $250 of that purse.
Indeed Mayweather's net worth is estimated to be around $400 million, after earning a staggering $700 million in his 21 year career.
This fight, should it ever take place will be worth around $500 million on pay-per-view if not more, and Mayweather can be expected to earn at least $350 million, which would make him the first billion-dollar-sportsman in history.
I don't believe that Floyd Mayweather's vanity, or his love of money will allow him to ignore that. Added to the fact that he will get his half century of wins should he triumph, which will mean he can finally retire for good.
Verdict:
The fight will take place, sooner rather than later, as Mayweather does not have time on his side.
McGregor win by knockout.
WHAT DO YOU THINK FIGHT FANS? WILL THE FIGHT TAKE PLACE AND WHO WILL WIN IT? AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!!
Cryptogee