By Yannis Mihanos: Greatness requires risks even losses at times. To become great, you need often to enter the lion’s den and defy the odds. It is not so much about doing it right but about making it happen. For most of the boxing fans the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor was expected to be a spoof rather than a real boxing match. But despite the early expectations McGregor fought well and more as a boxer than a UFC fighter.
McGregor (0-1) surprised many who were expecting from him to lose badly. It was a gutsy performance comparing with what McGregor, 29, was up to. He was up to the best defensive boxer of our recent times and he did better than many of Mayweather’s previous opponents, his CompuBox numbers after the fight speak for themselves.
When one dives into the unknown, turbulence is expected, mistakes might happen, weaknesses might be surfaced and not any amount of preparation both physical and mental can be enough for the real event.
Many would argue and say that anyone would have taken this fight. Hell, with so much money on the table it’s worth any beating, right? Think again dear thinking fan.
Do you think Mayweather would have done the same? Can you even imagine the picture? Swapping his very well-established craft for something more unorthodox and unknown? Not one in a million.
Mayweather would have to be very desperate to do such thing. Some people do not take these risks even if there is a lot of money on the table.
For McGregor, the risk to be totally outmatched and overwhelmed by Mayweather early in the fight was likely and possible.
In fact, many believed that McGregor would lose early and easy by a way of KO even by someone like Floyd who has never been a great knock out artist.
None of that really happened. And yes, he run out of gas in the late rounds but overall McGregor’s performance was serious and proved that he has a place in boxing if he ever decides to come back.
Let’s again not forget with whom he was fighting against: the greatest boxing mind of our recent times Floyd Mayweather Jr. And I might hate Mayweather and what he represents but I cannot ignore his genius in the ring. Mayweather, at the moment, he sensed that McGregor is fatigued he accelerated his rhythm and attacked more until the referee interfered and stopped the fight.
Now other boxing people believe that McGregor would make short work for fighters like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, and Andre Ward, who have greater punching power but it is all made out of assumptions.
The difference always is in the doing rather than in the thinking or saying. McGregor will continue to make headlines for the years to come in UFC and in Boxing, hopefully for the right reasons.
His example soon others may attempt to follow and that’s not bad at all, it may only mean that others too want to become great. As long as the matches do not turn into a circus I’m fine with that.