Month: August 2017

Saturday night was an exciting night. The matchup that America demanded was finally delivered. Despite what some may tell you, that fight delivered what the majority of people rooted for. A chance to see two professionals from different sport worlds collide in an entertaining fashion. No surprise the boxer won the boxing match. It was an enjoyable fight. I went in on it with some family and enjoyed seeing two entertainers entertain. After I have thought about it for a while I have come away with a couple of things.

McGregor had no shot

McGregor won 3 rounds, but Glass Joe could have won those 3 rounds. Mayweather hardly threw any punches and did two things. He was studying McGregor and secondly he was letting McGregor tire out. Which is surprising to me because McGregor fell for it. McGregor tired wasting big punches on Mayweather’s gloves. He did connect enough to entertain, but they clearly didn’t affect Mayweather. I don’t understand how McGregor’s team hadn’t prepared him for this. We have all seen Rocky III when Clubber Lang wastes his energy hitting Rocky’s gloves, until he is too tired and Rocky finishes him the next round. This is more or less what Mayweather did and it worked great. Of course, it was only a matter of time until a Rocky reference came up. You can’t avoid it.

McGregor never won another round after those first 3 and Mayweather worked him over pretty good the rest of the fight. From that point on it was the fight most expected. A professional beating on an amateur with a lot of heart. McGregor had a little bit of momentum into the 8th round in the beginning, but beside that, when Mayweather decided to box it was over.

Referee stepping in

At the point the referee stopped the fight, the fight was over. Mayweather was connecting on haymaker after haymaker and McGregor was stumbling like a 9 month old. The disappointing thing, was he was never knocked down, which I would have liked to see. The other part is the referee called the match after Mayweather barely grazed him instead of after a meaty fist sandwich. Had he stopped the fight 10 seconds early it would have felt right, but the end felt anticlimactic.

I will note, that if hits to the face are as damaging as the science experts like to make it sound, the ref probably did save McGregor damage. He was certainly going to take more and more of a beating.

Take Aways

It was fun and I think I could watch boxing with some regularity if they didn’t make it so difficult to watch. The fighters would make less, but they really do need a commissioner of boxing, like Dana White for MMA. It would do wonders for the sport.

I wish I would have emptied my 401K for this fight and made a quick 20%. Everyone was right, there was no way McGregor was going to win this fight. Also, getting “lucky” and knocking Mayweather out is much harder said then done. Clearly, no one in the previous 49 fights were able to, not sure why so many thought McGregor would be able to.

It was fun and worth the $25 that I spent on the fight. It was a good time and a perfect warm up to the College Football season this weekend.

McGregor vs. Mayweather

The spectacle comes to a head tonight and is overhyped and despite the logical parity, I am excited. It seems that I am not the only one that wants to see this fight, America demanded this fight. Every analyst that I have heard has said they expect Mayweather to win easily. Some put in the caveat that maybe McGregor will get lucky, despite 49 other professionals failed. Then again, there might actually be an overseas millionaire that wants to leave his fortune to me, I could get lucky, right?

One thing I always come back to is that there is a reason they play the games. The 2007 Giants upsetting the Patriots, the 1980 USA Hockey Team, Appalachian State over Michigan, Utah over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Cavs down 1-3 in the finals, or an 0-3 Red Sox comeback over the Yankees. Upsets happen far too often when logic dictates otherwise.

Also, wouldn’t an MMA fighter just be inherently tougher than a boxer? They are taking knees, kicks, and punches that have to land harder than overly padded gloves. When McGregor beat Diaz after going up a weight class he showed incredible moxie. There was a massive amount of punishment and McGregor won the battle. So, is it crazy to think that McGregor will be able to endure and get Mayweather? Yeah, it probably is, but we can hope right?

I hope McGregor can win. Mayweather’s history of domestic violence makes him the villain in this fight. McGregor’s no saint, but he does have a feel good story that is easy to root for. Nevertheless the spectacle may be more fun than the fight, so live it up. Today will be a fun day. College football opener, and a fight that America demanded. Carpè Díem.

Kyrie is out! Danny Ainge finally pulled the trigger and used his assets for a young star. The Celtics turned their back on Isaiah Thomas and and traded with their Eastern Conference threat. Wow. There is a lot to get to.

First off, Kyrie wanted out and he got what he wanted. I would have enjoyed it thoroughly if they would have traded Kyrie to a terrible team, where there was no chance of contention. Yet, Kyrie was put in a great situation on another good team with a chance to succeed. There were many scenarios that could have played out much worse for Kyrie, but he has to be happy to be traded to the Celtics. They are well ran, with a great coach and a bright future. Kyrie wanted an opportunity to be the Alpha, now he has an opportunity. This year they will have more talent, but I expect their chemistry to be awful.

Kyrie is going to want to come in and prove something and play like Russell Westbrook. The Celtics chemistry is about to be disrupted and the Celtics will be worse off than they were last year, despite their talent and the addition of Gordon Hayward. Because the East is as frail as Venezuela’s currency they will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but no further. I project that Kyrie doesn’t have the leadership ability to produce the chemistry it takes to lead a team to the finals.

The NBA is a cold frigid business. Isaiah Thomas was a fan favorite, played out of his mind, while grieving for his sister, and played injured for the Celtics. He gave them everything they could ask for plus some and at first chance they shipped him off. I think that the chip will help Isaiah Thomas, but as Don Corleone said, “This is the business we have chosen”, and I don’t feel bad for anyone.

Also, Ainge finally cashed in his chips. Does he believe this is the right move, or did criticism influence his hand. He has taken heat for piling up assets and never using them. The Cavs did well considering the whole league knew they had to deal Kyrie. The Celtics made a mistake and should have been more patient. I also didn’t expect the two teams in the Eastern Conference Championship to deal with one another.

The NBA’s offseason has been mesmerizing for some time. Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, Kyrie Irving bailing out on LeBron, and the rampant and yet-to-be-denied rumor that LeBron is divorcing Cleveland next summer. Next year should be great. The Cavs vs the Celtics will be fun and another Cavs/Warriors final will be great. I love the NBA offseason.