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Johannesburg - Can Conor “Notorious” McGregor outbox Floyd “Money” Mayweather? Absolutely not.
But do I think McGregor can beat Mayweather? Yes, absolutely.
These answers may appear to contradict each other, but they don’t.
Realistically, most people would agree that Mayweather – who remains undefeated – can school his Irish rival in a boxing match any day of the week.
McGregor has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the mixed martial arts promotion known as Ultimate Fighting Championship, having broken multiple records to become a two-division champion simultaneously.
He predicted many of his wins and, this time, he has expressed confidence that he will finish Mayweather in less than four rounds.
This is a guy facing a US opponent whose 49-0 record makes top fighters look average.
So, how could a guy on his first professional boxing bout score a victory against “the best”?
Notorious is bigger than Money. He is also taller, appears to be physically stronger and, at 28, has youth on his side.
Mayweather is 40 years old and admits that he isn’t the same fighter he was two years ago. But this is boxing, which fans know is more about science than fighting – so Money knows every possible shot that his opponent will throw.
Yet McGregor will enter this fight using a different boxing style – he will be throwing shots at different angles to what Mayweather is used to.
McGregor’s moves will be a huge factor in the upcoming bout, given the fact that he has a karate stance that enables him to leap back, go forward and side to side. It’s a stance that may just unsettle Money.
Notorious can win the fight by being “anti-boxing” – he will need to break all the norms while sticking to the rules.
To beat Mayweather, rather than box him, it’s best to make the American get into a scrap or brawl.
Because Mayweather’s defence is incomparable, McGregor will have to get his rival to go more on the offensive.
What may also give McGregor an edge is the fact that he is a southpaw with lots of power in those hands. He has knocked out most of his previous opponents.
Money seems to struggle against left-handers, as shown in his previous fights against lefties.
The night will belong to McGregor and he will cause a major upset.
Pena is from Luanda, Angola. He is the Extreme Fighting Championship bantamweight world champion
