McGregor Vs. Mayweather

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McGregor, the entertaining Irishman MMA hard man who fights and acts like he swallowed the Blarney Stone as a child rather than just touched it, could send boxing into freefall if he knocks Mayweather out. But he will not. That said, they will break all pay-per- view records in doing this. Boxing’s purists are worrying that MMA is piggy-backing on its mainstream status. But it is deeper than that. MMA is young, vibrant and much more in touch with social media and promotion. In that way, boxing is just getting started.

In New York, today, for example, the weigh-in scales used for the iconic ‘Fight of the Century’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971 are to be used by Bellator MMA – the rival organisation to the UFC, and owned by media giant VIACOM – when they make their first foray in Manhattan’s hallowed fight venue. Another sign that the tectonic sporting plates are shifting.

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The blonde message

Even on this Bellator MMA fight card, replete with huge names from the sport, including the Russian Fedor Emelianenko, the heavyweight equivalent of Muhammad Ali, whose friends and fans include Wladimir Putin and Donald Trump, is a fascinating tale of a female fighter, Heather Hardy, a world boxing champion now an MMA fighter.

Hardy, a single mother in her thirties, born and raised in South Brooklyn, a tough working-class community, took up fight sports aged 28. Hardy went public recently about being raped as a teenager.

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The striking blonde fighter has a powerful message, and sees real opportunity for women in MMA – but not in boxing. “In MMA it’s a lot more fair for women. They put together good shows. In boxing they just don’t do it. Women’s boxing is going in the right direction because of girls like Claressa Shields, Marlon Esparza, Nicola Adams, but they’re still not making money. There’s still that attitude that you should be thankful for that you’ve got because other girls don’t have this.”

Scott Coker, the CEO of Bellator, believes there is room for boxing and MMA to breathe together. “I grew up on Leonard v Hagler, Duran v Hearns. Times are changing. But Mayweather-McGregor I feel this is going to be the greatest promotion in the history of combat sports. It’s going to be all great until the bell rings.”

Nothing has really changed in that way. Big fights are always based on hype, money and personality. But what is changing is MMA creeping into the mainstream sports landscape. Boxing now needs to make room for its little brother.

@mindhunter

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