MANILA — The Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor "bout" is nothing but a "commercial" venture aimed at satisfying the curiosity of casual fight fans, according to local fight pundits.
For veteran boxing commentator Ed Tolentino, fans will be disappointed if they take the intriguing match seriously.
“We have to take the fight as it is: a commercial, business fight. If we take it so seriously, then we will be hugely disappointed,” he told ABS-CBN News.
“It is hard to conjure images of a real fight considering that McGregor is being forced to abandon his MMA techniques and embrace boxing rules. If he is allowed to employ MMA moves, then we have a real match, but such is not the case.”
McGregor, a 2-division MMA champion, agreed to take on the undefeated Mayweather in a lucrative boxing match on August 26.
But boxing purists see the fight as a circus.
Boxing analyst Dennis Principe told ABS-CBN News that Mayweather accepting the fight proved that he's about getting a hefty paycheck.
“It's a strong testament to the real priority of Mayweather. It's not about his legacy, it's about money,” he said.
Principe said the bout will lead to a sure 50th professional victory for Mayweather, but this one will have an asterisk on it.
“There’s reason for newbie fighters to go 4 rounds, before working his way up to 10-12 rounds. Even amateur fighters going to pro, sa daming laban nila sa amateur, pag nag-pro sila start pa rin sila sa 4 rounds,” he said.
“Iba kasi ang professional boxing. You have to follow the level bago ka pumasok sa elite.”
And McGregor, despite his reputation of being an outstanding MMA fighter, hasn’t fought a single round of professional boxing.
Tolentino said: “Mayweather should win the fight by knockout. I see him toying around with McGregor for a few rounds just to make it worth the while.”
“The fight figures to be over within 4 rounds, with Mayweather generating as much sweat as a basketball player who has made the bench his second home.”
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Conor McGregor, MMA, Boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dennis Principe, Ed Tolentino