Dustin's Corner: Floyd Mayweather Retires from Boxing after Retiring McGregor

Finally...

The People’s Red Head has come back to The Weigh-In!

Saturday night marked the mega fight between Mayweather and McGregor. Hopefully the readers will forever remember what they were doing when the pay-per-view stopped working. We imagine the next generation will be telling their grand-kids about the passing of Michael Jackson, 9-11, President Trump’s election, and how pay-per-view went out during Saturday’s mega fight.

Regardless of what the feelings were leading up to the fight, Mayweather did not disappoint. Once the fight got underway, it was a different Mayweather than we are used to seeing. Hats off to McGregor who gave it his all, until expending all the energy he had to give.

As many suspected, Mayweather gave the early rounds to McGregor. It appeared, as per usual, Mayweather spent the first three rounds downloading McGregor’s attack. To his credit, in the early rounds, McGregor gave Mayweather everything he could handle. If you listened carefully, you could hear Vegas sports books quaking in the early rounds.

Mayweather then began to focus on the body and left McGregor looking shaky in round 7. His earlier investment of body work paid off in round 10. Round 10 was all Money. Mayweather walked McGregor down forcing referee Robert Boyd to call a stop to the action.

Many individuals felt the stoppage was premature. To that, we say two things: why are you wasting time on other sites over The Weigh-In, and seriously, there was no need for the fight to continue. It was apparent that McGregor’s tank was empty and there was no need for him to take unnecessary punishment.

Hopefully fans enjoyed the fight. It was clear McGregor put in the work and he looked terrific. However, Mayweather’s experience was really on display. Boxing fans everywhere get bragging rights that the sport prevailed. One cannot help but wonder if we will see another crossover fight in the future.

I will close with this; Mayweather forgot to send out invites to his after party. For this, we will forgive him, but it still hurts. We cannot even get McGregor to spit in our direction, and I am Irish. In all seriousness, a thank you to both for putting on a great show.

The People’s Red Head Out!

- Dustin Johnson, The People's Red Head

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Now Back to Boxing...

In case you have been living under a rock for the last couple of days, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0) defeated Conor McGregor (0-1) via a tenth round TKO this weekend in Las Vegas. The crafty veteran capitalized on McGregor's endurance problems during the second half of the contest. Kudos to McGregor for looking far better than most boxing analysts thought he would, even against an aging Mayweather. Now we can only hope that this was the first and last time we see McGregor in the boxing ring...

Now that the Mayweather vs. McGregor weekend is over, we can get back to boxing. The next big fight coming up this year is a middleweight title unification contest between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (49-1-1) and Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (37-0) on September 16th in Las Vegas. The winner of this contest will sit on top of the middleweight division, a division that has had a number of tough and popular fighters pass through its ranks in recent years.

Alvarez is coming off of a May unanimous decision victory over the son of a Mexican boxing legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Canelo's only loss came at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Golovkin, who is undefeated, most recently won a close fight via unanimous decision over Daniel Jacobs at Madison Square Garden in March.

Stay tuned to The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast over the next few weeks for more information on this bout and undercard!

MW 

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Gervonta Davis Fails to Make Weight

Gervonta Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) came in two pounds over the 130 pounds limit on Friday at the weigh-in, in Las Vegas for his title defense against challenger, Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs). This is not the first time that Davis has had trouble making weight. Prior to his title defense against Liam Walsh in May, he needed three attempts to make weight. Although the fight will still take place tonight on the Mayweather vs. McGregor undercard, Davis has been stripped of his IBF Junior Lightweight Title. If Fonseca defeats Davis, he can still be crowned the new IBF Junior Lightweight champion.

This seems to be just another chapter to the "soap opera" that will finally end this evening. I am very disappointed to see a young and talented fighter fail to make weight in a fight that may turn out to be the most viewed of his career. I truly hope that Davis bounces back from this setback, and learns a lesson in the importance of making weight... Especially in title fights!

MW 

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"Huge" Weekend for Boxing

Well "fight" fans, we are officially on the home stretch to the spectacle that has overshadowed the great fights of the year, as well as those on the horizon, Mayweather vs. McGregor... If you plan on purchasing the pay-per-view, then you are in for a solid undercard of boxing, and a main event that will bring together the worlds of boxing and MMA for the first (and probably not the last) time in history. If you are going to tune into this mega circus, that means that you are going to miss a great card on HBO.

The HBO card features future Boxing Hall of Famer, Miguel Cotto (40-5) in what is being billed as his final bout against Japanese star, Yoshihiro Kamegai (27-3-2), for the vacant WBO World Super Welterweight Title. Unfortunately, this competitive matchup will hurt in the viewership department due to poor scheduling by the Cotto camp and HBO. It is important to note that Cotto went on the record recently to say that he never considered moving this fight to appease Floyd Mayweather. The Cotto vs. Kamegai card also features a very exciting matchup between Rey Vargas (29-0) and Ronny Rios (28-1) for the WBC World Super Bantamweight Title.  

Now back to the Mayweather vs. McGregor circus' card... The seven-bout card kicks off with three non-televised preliminary bouts, one of which is a bout between two women making their professional debuts. The main card starts at 9 PM EST, and features three title fights that include familiar names from the world of boxing. The bout I am most looking forward to is the WBA Light Heavyweight Title fight between Nathan Cleverly and Badou Jack. Cleverly is coming off of a October 1, 2016 RTD victory over Juergen Braehmer. Jack most recently fought to a MD draw against James DeGale in January. The undercard also features Mayweather Promotions' rising star, Gervonta Davis, and 41-year-old former world champion, Steve Cunningham. I highly recommend tuning in for the undercard, because the fights will likely blow away the main event! 

Below is the breakdown of the full Mayweather vs. McGregor card: 

Preliminary Card - 

Juan Heraldez (12-0) vs. Jose Miguel Borrego (13-0) - Welterweights

Kevin Newman (7-0-1) vs. Antonio Hernandez (9-1) - Super Middleweights

Savannah Marshall (Pro Debut) vs. Amy Coleman (Pro Debut) - Women's Super Middleweights

Main Card - 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0) vs. Conor McGregor (Pro Debut), Light Middleweights

Gervonta Davis (18-0) vs. Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1), IBF Super Featherweight Title

Nathan Cleverly (30-3) vs. Badou Jack (21-1-2), WBA Light Heavyweight Title

Andrew Tabiti (14-0) vs. Steve Cunningham (29-8-1), USBA Cruiserweight Title

MW

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8-Ounce Gloves

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has approved a request from the Mayweather and McGregor camps to change the size of the gloves from 10-ounces to 8-ounces just days before their August 26th circus in Las Vegas. This change came after both camps discussed and argued over the size of gloves to be used in the contest for the past few months. I have read a few articles and posts from people from the worlds of boxing and MMA who believe that this change will favor UFC star, Conor McGregor.

Some analysts consider this move to smaller gloves a foolish request from the Mayweather camp because their boxer's last knockout came in 2011 against Victor Ortiz. Furthermore, Mayweather has openly discussed his "brittle fists" to members of the media. Despite these factors, I still see Mayweather as the favorite because of his far superior boxing skills and defense. Mayweather will simply have to avoid big shots from McGregor, which I am confident he can and will. In regards to the NSAC, I'm very surprised to see this body make a change to the size of gloves this close to the bout. In my opinion this move plays right into the "soap opera" that is Mayweather vs. McGregor, and leaves me asking myself, what's going to happen next?

What do YOU think of this change to the size of gloves used in Mayweather vs. McGregor? Tell us in the comments section of this post!

MW

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Conor McGregor vs. Paulie Malignaggi Sparring Video Release

The "long awaited" release of footage from the McGregor vs. Malignaggi sparring session is now available in numerous formats on YouTube for your viewing pleasure... The footage appears to show Malignaggi stunned and knocked down during the sparring session with McGregor. However, it appears that the footage is doctored, and only contains part of the sparring session. I still believe that Mayweather is the overwhelming favorite in this contest, and see this release, and the social media war surrounding it, to be part of the hype machine that has been in place to maximize pay-per-view sales on August 26th.

You can check out the footage of the sparring session on YouTube via the below link:

Conor McGregor vs. Paulie Malignaggi Sparring Session Footage

Tell us what YOU think in the comments section of this post!

MW

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Dustin's Corner: McGregor vs. Mayweather - Who’s Buying?

As we all know, McGregor vs. Mayweather is being deemed the fight of the century. However, you may recall, another fight of the century took place back on May 2, 2015. This fight need not be mentioned by name, for we all know I am referring to Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. A fight, which needless to say, disappointed the masses. Mayweather is arguably the best defensive fighter of all-time. Pacquiao is a Hall of Famer who could not lay a hand on Floyd.

I have the utmost respect for McGregor and what he has accomplished in MMA. However, McGregor does not have a boxing background, and has used his celebrity status to land this opportunity against Mayweather. This writer fears that much like the Pacquiao fight, this will be another example of why Mayweather is the one of the best defensive boxers of all time. Many veterans of the sweet science are of the mindset that this fight is a joke. No matter what you may think of the actual spectacle, one cannot help but wonder what, if anything, this fight does for sport of boxing?

McGregor has burst onto the MMA scene dominating the competition and more importantly, dominating the ratings. McGregor’s impact can be felt throughout the MMA world. MMA fighters complained about how much time he occupied multiple belts, but have not been so quick to complain about the contract raises they are receiving as result of McGregor.

It was obvious that McGregor and Mayweather were destined to collide. It was too big to fail. Here we are with this contest rapidly approaching, and this writer has one question, who is buying this paper view? Avid boxing fans are too clever to once again be duped by the fight of the century taglines and outlandish promotion taking place.

However, there is something so damn intriguing about this contest. It is analogous to the ugly girl in elementary class that sits in front of you. You know you should not be starring, but you cannot look away. On top of the intrigue, this fight means something. All of us dedicated boxing fans know that MMA is blowing up dare I say, surpassing boxing viewership. Typing the last sentence hurt every fiber of my being. I am a freelance writer on a boxing blog, what sport do you think has my loyalty?

While I do not want to be honey dicked into watching this match, I just do not think I can help myself. What no one seems to be discussing is how badly boxing fans need this win. Perhaps the time off has helped Mayweather’s ailing hands and he is able to knock out McGregor. Think of that what Mayweather knockout would do for the sport.

Alternatively, think of what a McGregor knockout would mean for boxing. Am I being too dramatic, feel free to weigh in. While I do not want to drop a $100.00 dollars on paper view; it almost feels too important not to watch. Not sure how I feel about having to re-mortgage my home to pay for a spectacle that could be less dramatic than Mayweather and Pacquiao.

I want the listeners to weigh in. To me, this fight feels like bragging rights are on the line. All of us boxing fans need something to say to MMA fans. A McGregor victory could lead to a long summer of endless smack talk from MMA fans. I for one do not want to deal with that. However, real fans of the sport know what this is, so we are not worried.

- Dustin Johnson, The People's Red Head

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