In recent ESPN interview with Stephen A. Smith, Floyd Mayweather said with a straight face that he believes Conor McGregor has an advantage. Even though Mayweather is heavily favored to win, Floyd says that McGregor’s size and age are clear advantages on paper.
“He’s a lot younger,” he said. “When you look at myself and Conor McGregor on paper, he’s taller, has a longer reach, he’s a bigger man from top to bottom. He’s a lot younger (McGregor is 29), so youth is on his side and I’ve been off a couple of years. And I’m in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor.”
During the promotional lead-up to this fight, Mayweather has continually pointed out that he’s older and slower than he used to be. This is in stark contrast to the way Floyd “Money” Mayweather has promoted his previous fights. The five-division world champion is usually full of confidence and quick to point out that he is TBE (The Best Ever). Instead of boasting, Mayweather is quick to point his own shortcomings.
“I’m not the same fighter I was two years ago,” he said. “I’m not the same fighter I was five years ago. I lost a step. A fighter like Andre Berto isn’t even supposed to go the distance with Floyd Mayweather, but remember, I was 38. It’s obvious I’m slipping a little bit to even let a fighter like that go the distance with me.”
There is one quote from Floyd Mayweather that is the clear key takeaway from the entire interview with Stephen A. Smith.
“I’m not what I used to be.”
Kim’s Analysis: If people believe what Floyd Mayweather is saying, they might as well believe in unicorns and think “Game of Thrones” is a documentary. Mayweather prides himself on being a smart businessman, but he’s nothing more than a snake oil salesman.
Even though Mayweather isn’t joining Mensa anytime soon, he’s not stupid. At the very least, he’s a shrewd tactician, both in and out of the ring. He knows how to gain every advantage possible to stack the odds in his favor. For example, let’s examine the Manny Pacquiao fight. In 2010, fans were clamoring to see the two best pound-for-pound boxers meet in the ring. Mayweather waited five years before he would fight the Filipino boxer. Mayweather waited for Pacquiao to lose a step before signing the bout agreement. When the two finally met in 2015, Mayweather won an easy decision and it was clear that Manny Pacquiao was a lesser version of the fighter we saw in 2010.
Now back to the Mayweather-McGregor fight. There is NO WAY Mayweather actually believes he’s at a disadvantage going into this fight. There’s NO WAY he’d risk his precious undefeated record. Mayweather is just trying to con the fans into thinking that Conor has a chance to win. The bottom line is Floyd wants people to pay $89.99 ($99.99 for HD) on Aug. 26. If you’re a Floyd fan, pay to watch your favorite fighter make history. If you’re a Conor fan, pay to watch Floyd get beat. Mayweather doesn’t care if you boo him or cheer him, all he hears is the sound of cold hard cash.
TUESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Combate has reported that former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks will fight Paulo Borrachinha at UFC 217 on Nov. 4. The fight will take place in the Middleweight Division at 185 lbs.
-Bellator MMA announced their main event for the Dublin card on Nov. 10. James Gallagher will fight Jeremiah Labiano.
-On “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series,” 28-year-old light heavyweight Mike “Bones” Rodriguez and 25-year-old flyweight Alex Perez earned contracts to fight in the UFC. Read Michael Grocke’s detailed MMATorch report HERE.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 8/8: Cyborg wants to fight Holm at UFC 219, Ian McCall’s CTE concerns, Paige VanZant moving to flyweight
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