Let’s get the truth out of the way right now. Conor McGregor is a dominant two-division champ in mixed martial arts, but he won’t beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match. He talks tough. He talks loud. He usually backs it up in his domain, but boxing is Mayweather’s expertise, writes GRANT MILLER.
Yet McGregor recently got his boxing license in California and is now taking 10 months off, making it possible that he might fight in professional boxing, but he shouldn’t fight Mayweather. The notion that McGregor could transfer from a different sport and beat someone who went undefeated for 19 years and held four welterweight belts is laughable.
If McGregor somehow manages to fight in professional boxing, Mayweather should not be his first fight. The only reason the prospect of this bout draws so much attention is because both guys are talented self promoters. Once the promotion is done, and the fight starts, it’ll be a different story.
With that said, nothing should discourage McGregor from professional boxing. He just needs to prove himself before facing one of the greatest ever. Here’s a list of boxers who can beat McGregor. If he wants to fight Mayweather, he should prove this list wrong.
Chris Van Heerden: Seriously, McGregor had a tough time keeping up with the South African welterweight during sparring. Van Heerden said he did a good job though, so perhaps with some training, it’ll be a competitive fight.
Errol Spence Jr.: This dominant puncher gave Heerden a boxing lesson when they fought, so McGregor would be easy work. Spence’s swift jab, accurate combos and crushing body blows would be too much for him.
Danny Garcia: The WBC welterweight champ from Philadelphia would wear McGregor down with his lethal left hook and steel chin. Should McGregor land a punch, Garcia will eat it, move forward, and knock him to the canvas.
Manny Pacquiao: Even though he’s 37-years-old, Pacquiao still gave Mayweather one of his hardest fights before he retired and can still hang with the best. McGregor can’t defend against Pacquiao’s speed and aggression.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez: The hard-hitting super-welterweight champion from Mexico throws combinations that would bewilder and punish McGregor. There’s a reason only Mayweather has beaten him, and McGregor is unlikely to change that.
Gennady Golovkin: If Nate Diaz dazed McGregor with his punches when they fought at a higher weight, Golovkin, who has 36 wins with 33 knockouts as a middleweight, would make short work of him. He’s not the fastest fighter, but he knows how to stalk and punish quicker opponents, and McGregor should avoid this fight if he values his health.
Andre Ward: After his recent close victory against Sergey Kovalev, Ward showed he can take a punch, from a harder puncher than McGregor. Ward is the craftiest boxer in the sport, and though he lacks knockout power, he’ll beat up McGregor for 12 rounds while embarrassing him with counter punching, rough inside fighting, and hitting from diverse angles.
