Conor McGregor surprised many by going toe to toe with Floyd Mayweather until the 10th round. Mayweather Jr. set a new record when he defeated Conor McGregor by technical knockout before a crowd of 14,623 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“He’s composed, he’s not that fast, he’s not that powerful, but, boy, is he composed in there,” McGregor said of Mayweather. “I thought it was close though, and I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage. I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots. I have to give it to him, that’s what 50 pro fights will do for you.”
According to espn.com:
LAS VEGAS — The most improbable fight, one between an all-time great in Floyd Mayweather and an opponent, Conor McGregor, making his professional boxing debut, ended in the most probable way.
It ended with a dominant Mayweather stopping an outclassed McGregor by TKO in the 10th round of their massively hyped junior middleweight fight on Saturday night before 14,623 — well under capacity — at the T-Mobile Arena.
Mayweather, who moved his record to a historic 50-0 with 27 knockouts, said after the fight he would return to retirement saying:
“This was my last fight tonight. For sure.”
Mayweather went on to say, “Tonight was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with. Conor you are a hell of a champion.”
With the victory, Mayweather surpassed the hallowed 49-0 mark that great heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano retired with. It’s not a boxing record, but it is revered. There are some who said that beating an opponent with no boxing experience was a disgraceful way to pass Marciano, but Mayweather made no apologies.
“A win is a win, no matter how you get it,” said Mayweather, who said during the buildup that he would consider it a failure if he didn’t score a knockout. “Rocky Marciano is a legend, and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day.”
There was no logical reason to give McGregor, the UFC’s 155-pound champion and one of the best mixed martial artists in the world but not a boxer, a chance in a different sport, but that didn’t stop legions from cheering for the underdog. But in the end it was Mayweather, a five-division world champion and the greatest fighter of his era, whose class shined through after a bit of a slow start he said was part of his game plan.”
VIDEO: Highlights Of McGregor, Mayweather Fight
