For weeks, odds on
the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor kept dropping as bettors relentlessly put
their money on the Irishman who holds the UFC lightweight championship belt.
Though record amounts were bet – the William Hill
sports books reported early Saturday that total handle on the bout had already
doubled the 2015 record set between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao – it was all
for naught.
Mayweather left the ring for the final time
Saturday a winner once more, capping a brilliant career by going to 50-0 with
harder-than-expected victory over a game challenger at T-Mobile Arena. He
stopped McGregor at 1:05 of the 10th round, landing a series of unanswered
blows that forced referee Robert Byrd to jump between them.
“I think we gave the world a heck of a fight,”
Mayweather said in the ring after the fight. “It was the same gameplan. I
wanted to stay going straight ahead. I thought if I stayed going straight ahead
I would be able to get him. I really wanted to get him.”
Judges had it 87-83, 89-81 and 89-82 for Mayweather
at the time of the stoppage. Yahoo Sports had it 87-84 for Mayweather.
The unique match between a boxer and a mixed
martial artist drew massive worldwide attention and the fight more than lived
up to the billing. McGregor did well, not looking all that out of place and
competing on more than even terms early.
Mayweather, who has defeated two boxers (Oscar De
La Hoya and Arturo Gatti) already in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, put
the cap on his legendary career with his first knockout since he caught Victor
Ortiz in 2011 while Ortiz looked away.
McGregor tired from the relentless flood of right
hands from Mayweather and was all but on empty by the time the 10th started.
Mayweather landed a blistering straight right that
sent McGregor staggering back into the ropes. McGregor was woozy and wobbly and
Mayweather landed a hook and followed it with a right.
Mayweather, who landed 170 of 320 of his punches,
had McGregor in serious jeopardy when Byrd jumped in.
“I owed the fans for that [Manny] Pacquiao fight
and so I had to go straight at him,” Mayweather said.
McGregor’s gas tank was an issue coming into the
fight and it proved to be his undoing. While he did far better than anyone
expected – he looked much like a seasoned boxer despite only training in the
sport for about nine months – but he wasn’t able to keep his wind in the second
half.
According to CompuBox ShoStats, Mayweather
outlanded McGregor 130-60 in Rounds 6 through 10 after McGregor had a 51-40
edge through the first five rounds.
“In MMA, they only fight 25 minutes,” Mayweather
said.
Mayweather, who slipped past legendary heavyweight
champion Rocky Marciano by winning his 50th bout without a loss or a draw,
announced his retirement in the ring.
“This was my last fight, ladies and gentlemen,”
Mayweather said.
McGregor was his usual witty and affable self after
the bout, but he also paid respect to his opponent.
“He was so composed,” McGregor said. “He’s not that
powerful, but boy is he composed.”
McGregor didn’t seem to take the knockout hard. He
said, “I got strangled on TV before and I came back.”
McGregor said he felt the fight should have been
allowed to continue – “Let me go down. Let him put me down,” he said – but he
seemed pleased enough with his performance.
He also said “of course” he would return to the
UFC.
News
Source: - Yahoo Sports | August 27, 2017.
Photo Source: - Yahoo Sports | August 27, 2017.
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