skip to main content

Paper talk: What US media made of McGregor-Mayweather

Updated / Sunday, 27 Aug 2017 13:54
Floyd Mayweather (L) with Conor McGregor after their fight
Floyd Mayweather (L) with Conor McGregor after their fight

As the dust settled on one of the most hyped sporting occasions of all time in Las Vegas, the US media were split over the spectacle of MMA superstar Conor McGregor going toe to toe with Floyd Mayweather.

The Dubliner lost by TKO in the tenth round as Mayweather made it 50-0 in a remarkable career.

John Eligon in the New York Times reported that McGregor could claim a moral victory after lasting far longer than many had predicted.

"Many purists saw the contest as a farce, nothing more than an exhibition. While Mayweather did all he could to hype up McGregor as a legitimate opponent, he also said that he had taken the fight for the money.

"And many experts offered dire predictions - that McGregor would not land a punch, that he would be knocked out within a few rounds.

"In that light, the fight can be considered somewhat surprising, and McGregor, a native of Dublin, can claim a moral victory. He won the first round on all three judges’ scorecards, and the second and third rounds on one card.

"Still, McGregor’s early success may have been nothing more than Mayweather’s baiting him into a trap - a rope-a-dope of sorts, as made famous by Muhammad Ali."

Rick Maese in the Washington Post also said the fight delivered to some extent, writing that McGregor was far from humiliated.

"The night’s biggest surprise wasn’t that Mayweather was the one lifting his hand in the end, but that the fight wasn’t the snoozefest many feared.

"McGregor was making his boxing debut but managed to take the fight to Mayweather early and absorb big punches late.

"It was a resounding loss for McGregor, the brash Irishman who predicted a second-round knockout, but not one that he’ll likely be embarrassed by."

In the Bleacher Report, Nate Loop echoed that sentiment.

"McGregor acquitted himself surprisingly well in the bout, and there were spurts of action that made for a satisfying match.

"The Irishman had control of the fight early, but Mayweather simply waited him out, taking him deep into the match before finally going for the kill."

It wasn't all positive though. Bill Plaschke in the LA Times took a different view, believing the contest descended into farce.

"Conor McGregor flailed. Floyd Mayweather Jr stared.

"McGregor danced, Mayweather retreated. McGregor swatted, Mayweather covered.

"For the first three rounds at the T-Mobile Arena here Saturday night, the celebrated mismatch between the boxing champion and the mixed martial artist didn’t look much like either sport.

"Then Mayweather finally lost patience with the circus and turned it into a sham.

"The boxer boxed, and the MMA guy felt it. The boxer got stronger, and the MMA guy wilted. Mayweather began pounding in the fourth round and didn’t stop.

"He pounded and charged and pounded some more until he finally beat McGregor into a bruised and swollen submission with a 10th-round technical knockout to win a fight that was closer than it should have been but every bit as silly as expected."

And Martin Rogers in USA Today called for everyone to move on after a relentless wave of hype and hyperbole.

"Mayweather-McGregor was always going to be more like a soap opera than a sporting event, months of anticipation building up to a nerve-jangling crescendo. It wasn’t the greatest battle in history, but it was interesting enough, and as season finales go, it had its moments.

"It will give us enough to talk about around the water cooler on Monday morning, and, just like the big network blockbusters, that will be it, on to something else.

"It didn’t answer any significant questions about the merits of boxing compared to mixed martial arts, or indeed Mayweather compared to McGregor."

More stories on

Read Next