Floyd Mayweather disclosed the precise fight plan against Conor McGregor the night before the bout.
Before his fight with Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather spent the week insisting that he wasn’t training and was instead at his gentleman’s club. However, he ultimately ended up dominating his rival in the bout.
According to reports, Mayweather shared his exact game plan with American TV host Stephen A. Smith just hours before executing it against McGregor in their grudge match. The legendary 50-0 boxer successfully stopped McGregor within ten rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in 2017, setting new records for purses and gate receipts. Despite Mayweather’s dominance, fans were still impressed by McGregor’s performance, as he managed to last ten rounds and even won a few rounds early in the night.
However, ESPN boss Stephen A. Smith revealed that he had a conversation with Floyd Mayweather the night before the fight, during which the boxing legend disclosed his exact fight plan. According to Smith, Mayweather’s strategy was to tire Conor McGregor out, aiming to have him fatigued by the fourth or fifth round. Afterward, Mayweather planned to move around the ring strategically, ultimately aiming to stop McGregor in round eight or nine. Although he missed his prediction by just one round, Mayweather managed to dominate and defeat McGregor in the later rounds.
Smith shared this conversation while speaking to Mike Tyson on his podcast, Hot Boxin’. Despite considering the match more of an exhibition due to McGregor’s background as a UFC champion rather than a professional boxer, Smith still listened to Mayweather’s insights. He questioned Mayweather’s confidence in his punching power, especially since he hadn’t been known for it since moving up from lightweight to welterweight and often faced hand injuries.
Floyd Mayweather had confidently expressed his intention to toy with Conor McGregor during their fight. Mayweather’s approach was to walk right into McGregor and stay on his chest, making it difficult for McGregor to execute his striking style while moving backward. Mayweather anticipated that McGregor would tire out by the fourth or fifth round due to this strategy, and he planned to dominate and control the fight until rounds eight or nine, where he would eventually finish McGregor.
As the fight played out, Mayweather executed his game plan as he described. He allowed McGregor to have some success in the early rounds but gradually increased the pace and pressure, ultimately walking down his rival in a manner that differed significantly from his usual boxing style. Mayweather retired after the fight but has since continued to participate in exhibition bouts against celebrities and MMA fighters worldwide.
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