If you can perceive it, then you can achieve it. In the same vein, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or how would you describe the long-awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, one a boxer and the other a mixed martial artist?
The fight, scheduled for this coming weekend, will be the culmination of what started out as innocent taunts between the two athletes, both popular and respected in their own disciplines.
When McGregor first started mocking Mayweather after the latter’s fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and sarcastically proposing a match between the two of them, few took it seriously. This was mainly due to the differences in their fighting styles and disciplines.
But two years later, and less than a week from now, the fight is finally happening. And you can watch it just a few hours after the live event on Showmax.
The match, titled ‘THE MONEY FIGHT: MAYWEATHER vs MCGREGOR’, will be available by 11am in Kenya on the morning of Sunday, August 27. Below is the promo video:
The cross-style non-title fight will be unprecedented and historic in many ways. Mayweather is from the US while McGregor is from Ireland; Mayweather is 40 years old and coming back from retirement while McGregor – at 28 – is still quite young, with many years still left in his MMA career; and last but not least, Mayweather’s US $350 million net worth (according to Forbes) is more than 10 times that of his opponent, who is currently estimated to be worth a comparatively modest US $34 million.
But these are not the only differences between the two athletes. Below are some other notable facts and figures about Mayweather and McGregor you need to know:
A year ago, when many people were still not convinced that the Mayweather – McGregor match-up could be possible, David S Martin wrote in MMA Fighting: “Business is good for Conor McGregor, but it could be better… The real cash, according to McGregor, would be fighting Floyd Mayweather, boxing’s biggest draw, in a sport that doesn’t exist.”
Even now, the sport that Mayweather and McGregor are set to compete in this coming weekend still doesn’t exist.
But remember, we live in a world of possibilities, as this proverb – one of my favourites – by the popular Brazilian author Paulo Coelho reminds us: “When you want something, the whole universe conspires to make it happen.”
For now, it seems that the whole combat sports universe has conspired to ensure that Mayweather and McGregor face each other in Las Vegas at the Octagon. And nothing is getting in the way of the fight as a lot is at stake – for both the organisers and the competitors.
The handsome paychecks have not been lost on the fighters. In an interview, McGregor asked The Guardian: “Why would he take me on? But if you’re talking about a fight that could generate half a billion – it’s this one. There’s never going to be another boxing fight like this. Only a cross-style match between Mayweather and me could generate that kind of interest and revenue. So maybe it could happen. I would certainly be up for it. I am capitalising on every single opportunity. It’s a strong word, one of my favourite words: capitalise. I’m ready to capitalise on everything.”
Let’s look at the paychecks the fighters are expected to carry home at the end of the match. The Telegraph in late July reported that both Mayweather and McGregor are expected to “earn nine-figure sums for this fight, with Mayweather reportedly in line for a US $400 million payday”. Added to this is the US $600 million, which is the total projected amount expected to be grossed by the contest.
This cross-style fight, among the few that have been allowed to take place, has the potential to be greater than and overshadow an earlier one staged in 1976 between boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki, a Japanese wrestler.
And remember, it will be available on Showmax, where you can, in the meantime, catch up with the contestants as they prepare to take each other on on the big day.
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