McGregor vs. Mayweather: Round by round betting

Big bout bets by round

Let's be blunt, the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather superfight on August 26 is less of a matter of who will win, and more of matter of how and when will Mayweather prevail?

You can try to convince yourself all you want that McGregor stands a chance. He is, after all, at his peak and 11 years younger than Mayweather. McGregor has spent the last two years dominating the UFC, while Mayweather has enjoyed a retirement away from the ring. And yes, McGregor is slightly bigger than Mayweather and even has a two-inch reach advantage. But none of that makes up for McGregor's lack of experience inside the squared circle.

Say what you want about Mayweather, but there's no questioning his boxing mastery. While he's loud and brash outside the ring, inside he's calm and surgical. His perfect 49-0 mark proves it.

With no fight experience, there's no telling what McGregor's strategy will be. But you have to think he'll be banking on one knockout punch to pull off the all-time biggest historical upset. In the world of UFC, he's done just that. Eighteen of his 21 wins have come by knockout — none more notable than his 13-second victory over Jose Aldo, who went undefeated nearly 10 years before the knockout.

But that won't come nearly as easy against Mayweather, who is one of the best defensive boxers to ever lace up the gloves. Mayweather has been knocked down just once — against Carlos Hernandez in 2001, which wasn't even a real knockout blow (Mayweather was having glove issues and took a knee on the floor).

Plus, in an MMA bout, the threat of throwing kicks helps McGregor land those crushing blows. That won't be the case here. Mayweather can defend himself without the worry of kicks or be taken down to the floor.

Worse for McGregor, that one-punch strategy plays right into Mayweather's trap. He's made a career out of ducking and dodging punches — effectively frustrating or wearing out his opponent — then winning on pure points alone. Call Mayweather's style "boring" all you want, but he'll keep himself out of danger at all costs, then exploit his flustered adversary.

McGregor's best hope is to trash-talk his way into Mayweather's head, forcing him into an exchange — but Mayweather's perfected that strategy in his own right.

Just recently both fighters posted videos on social media of themselves training for the upcoming bout with a punching bag. The speed difference is night and day with Mayweather clearly the quicker.

All things considered, wagering on McGregor is a pure prayer bet. At +425 , there's value in betting his way. After all, anything can happen in boxing. However, in all likelihood, Mayweather will cruise to victory. But that begs the question, will this fight go the distance or will Mayweather record the knockout victory?  

We're inclined to say no toward the latter.

Mayweather is skilled in many areas, but power certainly isn't one of them. He has never been equipped with superhero power. And whatever power he had will be diminished now that he's 40 years old. Only 26 of Mayweather's 49 victories have come by knockout. Just one of those has come in his previous 10 bouts — the lone outlier being a cheap knockout over an unguarded Victor Ortiz.   

McGregor's novice in-ring ability will likely leave him vulnerable to knockout multiple times. However, Mayweather will stick to the script — dance around, land a flurry of jabs and fight completely risk-free — like he always has.  Come August 26, expect more of a spectacle than an actual fight. It's going to take the biggest upset in sports history for McGregor to win. Mayweather won't even break a sweat.   

Method of victory: Mayweather by decision

Category : News

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