After months of hype and anticipation, the time has finally come for Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor to face off in what will either be a historic bout or a legendary farce. Leading up to the fight, which takes place on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there has been no lack of buzz surrounding the event, albeit not all positive. Many boxing purists have trashed the fight, expecting a lackluster showing from the inexperienced McGregor, who is participating in his first competitive match in over a decade. Mexican boxing legend and, it must be noted, promoter Oscar De La Hoya has been at the forefront of these doubters, and he’s not backing down in the closing days of the hype train.
On Friday, De La Hoya told TMZ Sports that “there’s a better chance that I come out of retirement and challenge Mike Tyson.” He was then asked if he would pit Canelo Álvarez against McGregor if the Irishman were to pull off the upset of a lifetime on Saturday; De La Hoya simply stated that there’s no chance of that: “it’s not gonna happen.” He didn’t just stop there, either; De La Hoya went on to say that McGregor “is not gonna land not one punch.”
Despite his conflict of interest here, the Golden Boy isn’t alone in his thoughts, as many boxing experts believe that McGregor stands no chance against the shifty Mayweather. Despite that, 95% of bettors are putting their money on McGregor, just in case the unthinkable happens (granted, as noted by Deadspin, this is not 95% of the money; it stands to reason that a lot of fans would throw a $5 bet in just in case McGregor does the damn thing).
Despite his doubters, the Irishmen has been extremely confident in his abilities. After the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed that the fighters will use 8 ounce gloves instead of the typical 10 ounce gloves that are used, McGregor made a few outlandish comments about his expected outcome for the fight. “I don’t believe with the new gloves, he makes it out of the second round,” said McGregor. Not many agree with him, but one thing is for sure as we near the sounding of the opening bell: there will be a lot of eyeballs on this super fight.