Boxing Thread 4.0

[Dry_Fish]

I disagree. Conor won, in the eyes of most, at least 3 rounds.

It's easy to win rounds when the other guy doesn't throw punches.

That was partially to Conor's credit for using his distance and befuddling him. He was doing pretty high level stuff that Floyd probably didn't expect from him, i.e.; the switch stance to straight to the body and the counter uppercut. Also, the jabs were technically impressive the way he was snapping them out there w/ accuracy. That's what was keeping distance best. Floyd had to figure ways around those problems to get off. Then when he made the adjustment of tying up and being more aggressive, coming in with his head down throwing hooks, after it surprised Conor, he came back and had his moments, arguably winning 1 or 2 more rounds before gassing.

You're making an issue of Conor getting ko'ed by "40 yr old Floyd". But I could come back and say it's pretty easy to get a ko against an opponent who is totally spent. Pretty much anybody could do that. The issue was gassing that hard. But that has eff all to do with boxing skill/ability. He proved he had plenty of that in this fight and Floyd acknowledged it. Without the gassing factor, this probably ends in a controversial decision in one's favor or the other.

No, it wasn't what most in the mainstream and boxing circles expected, gassing or no gassing. Conor wasn't out of his depth in there. He was competitive. He deserved to be a good-sized dog, but had a realistic chance to win still. Biggest changes he'd need to make if they hypothetically fought again were coming in lighter and training harder for longer to get his fitness up.

I thought it would go the distance...more on Floyd part and not Coner gassing out. I understand MMA match are shorter....but you figure Conor is capable and trained to last longer. I think anyone that think Conor was doing well due to the first few round should reconsider how a war is won instead of a battle.

Conor might have never had the intend of going to the scorecard...KO or bust

[Ong_dynasty]

people who are blaming the refs, it is common knowledge that if you don't fight back while taking punches regularly the ref can stop it.
I was actually more disappointed in McGregor as I thought he could have atleast tried to throw a few jabs in there and just felt like he metally have up as he was so tired. He was tired for a few rounds.

I was also shocked by mcgregors' so called power or by floyds chin. Those shots in the beginning didn't look like it hurt Floyd as much as I thought it would. Especially the uppercuts.

[BadMofoPimp]

Did anyone else hear Conor say,"I'm Dead" or "I'm Done" a few times when the ref called the fight?

[Headliner]

I've never liked boxing, it's kind of silly when you think of it.
Last night was the second boxing match I've ever watched...I doubt I'll watch a third. It's vastly inferior to Mma. Like WNBA to NBA in a way. I can see why some fans would enjoy it, but I'd rather watch kickboxing than just boxing.

[cowboyronnie]

If if if.

FACTS he was gassed as hell, eating punches, and not throwing anything back. If he wanted the ref to not take it into his hands to protect the fighter he should have gave a better account of himself rather than gassing and not throwing punches for a minute.

His corner told him to specifically go out there and rest that round. He should have clinched it up and just hugged him for 3 minutes I guess? The sweet science!

He was tired, his wits were about him and he hadnt given up. It was a sh*t stoppage in a close fight.

Mayweather went the first 1:20 without throwing a punch, guess they shoulda stopped it!

Was he ever hurt, wobbling around the ring, and hugging for dear life in the first 3 rounds?

Yeah they totes should have kept this going

https://streamable.com/9lkup

The video seems pretty clear. At the very end there - the last 4 or 5 seconds, Floyd was in full offense mode, super precise, picking his shots, he'd landed a bunch of chin-turners in a row...Conor has no idea what to do in response.

[Butch718]

It is what it is. Conor McGregor was gassed. He simply did not have the stamina to go a full 12 rounds. You have to be training for years in order to gain that kind of stamina. You can't expect a guy who never fought a professional boxing fight in his life to remain competitive for a full 12 rounds against the best boxer of this current generation. Just like it would be unrealistic for Floyd to remain competitive in a professional MMA fight.

Conor's unorthodox style confused Mayweather early on. I think it was a mix of Floyd taking him lightly, as well as Conor using his size,reach and jab to his advantage. But once Conor got winded, Floyd started smelling blood and just went for the kill.

Even though Conor acquitted himself well in this fight, I don't think he would stand a chance against guys like Thurman, Spence, Crawford, etc. He should stick to MMA.

[skbucks1985]

It is what it is. Conor McGregor was gassed. He simply did not have the stamina to go a full 12 rounds. You have to be training for years in order to gain that kind of stamina. You can't expect a guy who never fought a professional boxing fight in his life to remain competitive for a full 12 rounds against the best boxer of this current generation. Just like it would be unrealistic for Floyd to remain competitive in a professional MMA fight.

Conor's unorthodox style confused Mayweather early on. I think it was a mix of Floyd taking him lightly, as well as Conor using his size,reach and jab to his advantage. But once Conor got winded, Floyd started smelling blood and just went for the kill.

Even though Conor acquitted himself well in this fight, I don't think he would stand a chance against guys like Thurman, Spence, Crawford, etc. He should stick to MMA.

Maybe this is a distinction without a difference, but was it stamina per se or was it him not having the defensive skills and/or not trusting his defense to rely on that for some of the middle rounds? Rounds 5-7 Floyd won all of them pretty handily, especially round 7, but in all of them Conor was still throwing a pretty good volume of punches. As late as round 9, he probably won the first minute of that round. It really wasn't until the last minute of the 9th that Conor couldn't throw. But even then, he got a little bit of a wind and in the first 30 seconds of the 10th Conor was still throwing a volume of punches, granted they were soft punches that weren't doing anything, but he was still throwing.

[Butch718]

It was stamina. By the 5th round, he was breathing really heavily through his mouth. His arms and hands weren't up as much. His posture changed. Sorry, but can't just simply jump from A ball to the big leagues. Even if he did have the stamina, he still would have been outclassed. I just don't think it would have ended in a KO in the 10th.

[NotaHypeJob]

McGregor looked like he had very little power, his technique made him throw so many arm punches/slaps that he looked incapable of a KO.

[skbucks1985]

It was stamina. By the 5th round, he was breathing really heavily through his mouth. His arms and hands weren't up as much. His posture changed. Sorry, but can't just simply jump from A ball to the big leagues. Even if he did have the stamina, he still would have been outclassed. I just don't think it would have ended in a KO in the 10th.

After Floyd figured him out around round 4 I don't think Conor ever had a path to actual victory and a Floyd win by whatever means was inevitable, especially given that 2 of the 3 judges had Floyd winning rounds 2 and 3. Because even in the early rounds when Conor was having more success, nothing he was doing was really damaging Floyd in any real way. The hardest shots in the fight were all landed by Floyd. But Conor very much seemed to ascribe to the philosophy of the best defense is a good offense and continued to expend energy and throw a volume of punches when a more defensive style, assuming it was effective, for a couple rounds likely would have allowed him to have more energy in the last 4-6 rounds and maybe even allowed him to steal a round or two.

[Bernman]

Anybody who thinks Conor wasn't doing well the first few rounds to his own credit is wrong. He was doing things to control the bout for that period between the jabs to fight long, switch stance and then punch on entry to confuse Floyd, and uppercuts when Floyd would duck down or try and get a little more aggressive.

If Floyd was really trying to get Conor to punch himself out, then that would be a lot of respect to the opponent thinking that was his best path to victory, and a lot of what Conor was doing ended up visibly surprising him by the body language. Then Floyd made the necessary adjustments to gain the upper-hand. But Conor still came back and was competitive before he was fully gassed.

Sure, it's more about who wins the war than the battle. Floyd was the considerably better man in the end and getting the victory reflects that. But it wasn't easy. I think people arguing that, and it was all part of a master plan by Floyd all along that he was fully in control over, are fitting a narrative to reconcile what actually happened with their previous assertions that Conor wouldn't land a punch. It's not like Floyd wanted to take some early damage and potentially harm his legacy before he exited.

[Bernman]

Maybe this is a distinction without a difference, but was it stamina per se or was it him not having the defensive skills and/or not trusting his defense to rely on that for some of the middle rounds? Rounds 5-7 Floyd won all of them pretty handily, especially round 7, but in all of them Conor was still throwing a pretty good volume of punches. As late as round 9, he probably won the first minute of that round. It really wasn't until the last minute of the 9th that Conor couldn't throw. But even then, he got a little bit of a wind and in the first 30 seconds of the 10th Conor was still throwing a volume of punches, granted they were soft punches that weren't doing anything, but he was still throwing.

It's Conor's style. He is a showman type and very confident in the impact of his offense. He fought the same way in MMA against Nate Diaz both times. And both times he gassed pretty hard. First time it led to getting finished too (it was on the ground, but after he started getting clobbered on the feet too, which also would have done him in). Second time he was able to get a second wind and survive to edge a win in part because he had messed up Diaz' leg badly to take sting off his punches and MMA allows you to grapple and kick from a safer distance against a boxing-type like Diaz was. How fast he gasses is seemingly a combo of his style, possibly not training enough endurance, and when he comes in heavy to boot.

Conor's defense was pretty good early when he was fresh. He was ducking under, moving away, and blocking many of the shots that Floyd was actually throwing. That all changed in the mid rounds when he couldn't even move his head when it was predictable Floyd was going to keep following up with over-hands and hooks. And Floyd didn't win round 6 (I believe it was that one, and not 7) handily. That one was debatable. Conor debatably won a couple rounds after Mayweather started figuring him out or supposedly waited until he tired himself out. Really he adjusted to the adjustment to keep it competitive before he was fully out on his feet. He was throwing pitter pat punches just to throw them and bobbing up against the ropes. That should have been a close decision in the end if not for the gas factor.

[Bernman]

McGregor looked like he had very little power, his technique made him throw so many arm punches/slaps that he looked incapable of a KO.

That's not true at all. Floyd is known for his defense of course so hard to be decisive throwing against. Conor still landed a few shots in the early rounds which seemed to have an effect on Mayweather. Later he occasionally would sneak in a solid shot. Then he gassed really hard. Few would look powerful under those circumstances. Conor is definitely a powerful puncher when he's confident in what he's seeing, energized, and can sit down on punches.

[Knickfan1982]

Does anybody here think the ref would have stopped that if Floyd were in the exact position Conor was?

I don't think it was a BAD stoppage per say, but given the magnitude of it, he could have let him go down and see if he makes his 10 count. He was basically done, but lets just find out the hard way.

You mean if Floyd was against the ropes taking a number of clean shots without throwing anything back and looking like he was incapable of throwing anything back? Yes. A competent ref would have stopped the fight if Floyd was in that position. It doesn't always happen and it usually leads to an ugly stoppage that puts the fighters career and life at risk. But the slow stoppages by refs is always what made boxing a sport more dangerous to someone's health than MMA.

[NO-KG-AI]

Does anybody here think the ref would have stopped that if Floyd were in the exact position Conor was?

I don't think it was a BAD stoppage per say, but given the magnitude of it, he could have let him go down and see if he makes his 10 count. He was basically done, but lets just find out the hard way.

You mean if Floyd was against the ropes taking a number of clean shots without throwing anything back and looking like he was incapable of throwing anything back? Yes. A competent ref would have stopped the fight if Floyd was in that position. It doesn't always happen and it usually leads to an ugly stoppage that puts the fighters career and life at risk. But the slow stoppages by refs is always what made boxing a sport more dangerous to someone's health than MMA.

So better strategy is to just drop to the floor and take a breather then, since if you actually stay up, they stop it?

[cowboyronnie]

Does anybody here think the ref would have stopped that if Floyd were in the exact position Conor was?

I don't think it was a BAD stoppage per say, but given the magnitude of it, he could have let him go down and see if he makes his 10 count. He was basically done, but lets just find out the hard way.

You mean if Floyd was against the ropes taking a number of clean shots without throwing anything back and looking like he was incapable of throwing anything back? Yes. A competent ref would have stopped the fight if Floyd was in that position. It doesn't always happen and it usually leads to an ugly stoppage that puts the fighters career and life at risk. But the slow stoppages by refs is always what made boxing a sport more dangerous to someone's health than MMA.

So better strategy is to just drop to the floor and take a breather then, since if you actually stay up, they stop it?

Yes, take a knee. You get an 8 or 10 count, things are re-started. Marques of Queensbury and all that. Experienced boxers will do this.

[REDDzone]

Let's be honest, the ending was absolute best case scenario for everyone involved. Floyd gets a finish like he said he would. Conor can half-heartedly say that the ref stopped it too early but he also wasn't KOed outright and plus he gets to leave the ring in one piece.

[Knickfan1982]

Does anybody here think the ref would have stopped that if Floyd were in the exact position Conor was?

I don't think it was a BAD stoppage per say, but given the magnitude of it, he could have let him go down and see if he makes his 10 count. He was basically done, but lets just find out the hard way.

You mean if Floyd was against the ropes taking a number of clean shots without throwing anything back and looking like he was incapable of throwing anything back? Yes. A competent ref would have stopped the fight if Floyd was in that position. It doesn't always happen and it usually leads to an ugly stoppage that puts the fighters career and life at risk. But the slow stoppages by refs is always what made boxing a sport more dangerous to someone's health than MMA.

So better strategy is to just drop to the floor and take a breather then, since if you actually stay up, they stop it?

Absolutely. Sure, it looks weak to an outsider but it gives you a precious few seconds of breathing room where you hopefully get a chance to clear your head.

[NO-KG-AI]

You mean if Floyd was against the ropes taking a number of clean shots without throwing anything back and looking like he was incapable of throwing anything back? Yes. A competent ref would have stopped the fight if Floyd was in that position. It doesn't always happen and it usually leads to an ugly stoppage that puts the fighters career and life at risk. But the slow stoppages by refs is always what made boxing a sport more dangerous to someone's health than MMA.

So better strategy is to just drop to the floor and take a breather then, since if you actually stay up, they stop it?

Absolutely. Sure, it looks weak to an outsider but it gives you a precious few seconds of breathing room where you hopefully get a chance to clear your head.

It was rhetorical, I know this is thing to do, it's just extremely silly that the rules promote throwing yourself to the floor more than actually standing on your own two feet.

[Rich Rane]

It was rhetorical, I know this is thing to do, it's just extremely silly that the rules promote throwing yourself to the floor more than actually standing on your own two feet.

The point is to win the fight, even if it means surviving a round to get to the next one. Take a look at Algieri and Provodnikov a few years back. Algieri took a huge hook to the eye in the very first round and got up. Provodnikov kept pressing when Algieri wasn't fully recovered and Algieri took a knee and a huge breather, but it got him to the end of the round and he eventually boxed his way to a split decision win.

I mean boxing isn't the only sport where the athlete can manipulate the rules to benefit him/herself. Flopping/diving can constantly be found in the Big 4. Basketball also has hack-a-(insert last name of horrible free throw shooter). Football has fake/exaggerated injuries on defense to get a timeout if they're not set. Combat sports can fake low blows. For better or worse, it's part of the sports we watch.