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.
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“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