Something seemed off once the final bell rang on Saturday night. The world got what it wanted. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor went head-to-head. Most people I know went to a fight party. I'm sure plenty went home satisfied with the outcome. I couldn't help but question Mayweather vs McGregor. Was it a boxing match? The result felt more like an ending to a WWE Pay-Per-View. It felt pre-determined and predictable.
After weeks of trash talk and a world tour, there's no way both fighters could emerge from this fight without a blemish. Yet, they did. Today, the world will praise Mayweather for remaining unbeaten and walking away from boxing with a 50-0 record. Meanwhile, McGregor will be praised for going after Mayweather in the early rounds and 'lasting' as long as he did in his first professional boxing match.
All of this sounds great, but it rarely happens in sports. There are very few times where the winner and the loser both receive praise. Maybe this is just a rare exception that sports fans should cherish. I wish I were naĂŻve enough to buy into that narrative.
Instead, I'm questioning it all. It's pretty clear that this was a money grab for both fighters. I have no problem with that. Did the ending feel planned? Yes, it did. The referee stepped in and 'saved' McGregor from Mayweather. Maybe the ref made the right decision, but it didn't feel like the correct moment.
"Let me go down," McGregor told Jim Gray after the fight. "Let the man put me down. I thought it was an early stoppage. They should have let me keep going."
I wish round 10 would've continued. This isn't a pro-McGregor article. It became clear that Mayweather was in full control. After the build up, the trash talk and the investment made into a fight like this, that's how it ends? The fight should've continued. Would it have made McGregor look bad? Maybe. He may have gotten knocked down or knocked out. I wish the world could've seen the outcome.
Instead, both fighters feel like they won. And, they did. Mayweather is at least $200 million richer and McGregor earned a cool $100 million. Mayweather got to 50-0 and McGregor "impressed" the boxing world.
The fight was entertaining. I'm glad I watched it. I just can't help but wonder what would've happened if McGregor had another few minutes. Would Mayweather have knocked him out? Could he knock him out?
Questions I had going into last night's fight didn't get answered. After the fight, Mayweather said he was done and called McGregor the perfect "dance partner." There's no denying that last night was the perfect result for both fighters.
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