Talk of the potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather match now permeating all walks of popular culture. The world’s first “billion dollar fight”, as it has been dubbed, would be a box office bonanza for all parties involved and would put the world’s most famous undefeated boxer straight in the firing line of McGregor, a fighter whose left hand has rendered the majority of his opponents unconscious.
In a wide-ranging interview for the latest edition of GQ, for which McGregor graces the cover, he discusses his thoughts on what he feels would be the most likely outcome if and when two of the most dominant combat sports athletes of their generation finally cross paths.
Asked by the magazine how he would cope with someone who has been fighting for the best part of his 40 years, McGregor was quick to clarify the question.
“Except you use the term ‘fighting’ differently, because he’s not been fighting for 40 years. He’s been boxing for 40 years”, McGregor says. “There’s a big difference between boxing and fighting. Boxing is limited fighting with a specific rule set. Fighting is true, where you can do anything.”
In this case boxing is the craft that will be employed by both men and, as McGregor says, the natural advantages he adopts over his UFC opponents will apply here too.
“We’re talking about boxing. That’s it. But again, age waits for no man. He’s 40 years of age. He’s a little…he’s got a little head on him. Honestly, my fist is bigger than his head. I sleep people. I put people unconscious. I’m stating facts. If I hit that man, his head is gonna go into the bleachers. You understand that? If I crack that little head of his, it’s gonna go clean off his shoulders and up into the bleachers.”
While the fight media on both sides of the mixed martial arts and boxing divide have expressed doubt the bout coming to fruition, McGregor has always been an athlete who calls his shots. Long before he was in the UFC he was predicting that he would be the first ever simultaneous two-weight world champion, such is his knack for visualisation.
Be it calling his early knockout of José Aldo, or any manner of other predictions, McGregor frequently dreams situations into reality and who’s would confidently say that it won’t be the exact same this time around? Whatever happens, though, McGregor says that a boxing match will happen — be it with Floyd or someone else.
“I mean, [Floyd] is the one that everyone wants, that’s the one that makes the most sense. But I’ve no problem going and slapping the head off one of his opponents that he couldn’t finish. All he does is decisions. He can never stop them. So all I have to do is pick some schmuck out that he only could decision, bounce the left hand off his dome, sleep him, and then there you go: It’s already done.”
