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Associated Press

Conor McGregor flailed. Floyd Mayweather Jnr stared.
McGregor danced, Mayweather retreated. McGregor connected, Mayweather covered.
For the first three rounds at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, the celebrated mismatch between the boxing champion and the mixed martial artist was awkward and strange.
Then Mayweather finally lost patience with the circus and turned it into a sham.
Mayweather began pounding in the fourth round and didn’t stop, pounding and charging and pounding some more until he finally beat McGregor into a bruised and swollen submission with a 10th-round technical knockout to win a fight that wasn’t.




Mayweather beat his way through the constant jeers of a crowd that serenaded McGregor with “Ole,” and chanted “Conor.” He beat his way out of what would have arguably been the biggest upset in sports history.
In other words, he did what everyone thought he would do against a guy boxing professionally for the first time, only it took a little longer and, in the end, seemed a little sillier.
Mayweather, who said afterward he is retiring, is 50-0.
McGregor, who was scrappy enough to probably warrant an appearance in another similar side show, is 0-1.
Yeah, in the end, what happened in this match that made no sense ended up being a fight that made complete sense.
We knew it would look like this, right? So then why did we get so excited?
“I think we gave the fans what they want to see,” Mayweather said. “He’s a lot better than I thought he was. But I was the better man tonight.”
McGregor, of course, didn’t agree. The fight was stopped by referee Robert Byrd without McGregor hitting the canvas, but he was clearly beaten up and exhausted and it should have been stopped.
“I thought it was close, (Byrd) should have let me keep going,” McGregor said. “Let him put me down, let the man put me down. I was just a little fatigued.”
A little? McGregor was wiped out, clearly out of his league in a fight lasting this long, obviously having used up all of his energy early while Mayweather just waited to make his move.
Classy Floyd Mayweather stops brave Conor McGregor in 10th round
“Our game plan was to take our time, let him have his shots early, then take him out down the stretch,” Mayweather said. “We wanted him to shoot all his shots, we knew after he fought 25 minutes, he would slow down.”
In the end, Mayweather hit McGregor 170 times and McGregor landed 111 punches, but several of McGregor’s jabs were off the back of Mayweather’s head. Throughout the fight, McGregor reverted to his MMA moves as the crowd roared and referee Byrd scowled and warned him.
Perhaps Mayweather’s biggest strength was that he didn’t let the odd punches rattle him.
“He’s not that fast and not that powerful but boy is he composed,” McGregor said.
Mayweather walked into the ring wearing a black ski mask, and, perhaps fittingly, he left with a bunch of loot, perhaps in excess of $300 million. McGregor will take around closer to $100 million.
McGregor might get seriously injured and never fight again after Mayweather bout, fears Amir Khan
Amid a summer promotion filled with outlandish insults, McGregor made the most audacious claim, saying, “I don’t see him lasting two rounds, I think I could end him in one round if I want. This man is not on my level. He’s not a quarter of the man I am. Everyone is going to eat their words on Saturday.”
Turns out, nobody ate their words. Nobody was surprised. The mismatch was a mismatch.


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UFC: Floyd Mayweather Jnr warns freshly retired Conor McGregor – ‘if you decide to come back, I will be waiting to punish you again’

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Floyd Mayweather Jnr v Conor McGregor superfight

Mayweather-McGregor: no surprise, the fight was a total mismatch

Floyd Mayweather Jnr outclassed Conor McGregor with a 10th-round stoppage to win their money-spinning superfight and clinch his 50th straight victory. Photo: AFP

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 26: (L-R) Floyd Mayweather Jr. holds the back of his head as Conor McGregor is held back by referee Robert Byrd during their super welterweight boxing match on August 26, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 26: A general view before the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor super welterweight boxing match on August 26, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Sport

Boxing

Irishman is left to eat his words after failing to sustain a challenge in the Las Vegas bout


Mayweather-McGregor: no surprise, the fight was a total mismatch

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Irishman is left to eat his words after failing to sustain a challenge in the Las Vegas bout

Irishman is left to eat his words after failing to sustain a challenge in the Las Vegas bout