By Lyle Fitzsimmons

OK, let’s face some facts.

Rightly or wrongly, we all know what we’ll be doing on Aug. 26.

And though no offense is intended to the fighters or the executives with whom they’ve aligned, we all know it has precisely nothing to do with Miguel Cotto, Yoshihiro Kamegai or the Network of Champions.

Some think that’s a shame. Others call it an outrage.

Still others will suggest anything short of a full-on boycott of the events that night in Las Vegas – about 275 miles to the northeast of Cotto-Kamegai – equates to an old-fashioned spit in the face to boxing.

They’re entitled to their views, of course.

But I find it hard to believe that not a single one of them will be making the trip to the desert by air or road, plunking cash down on the pay-per-view or at the very least staying close to a new-fangled device that’s connected to their favorite fight-night live blog from the MGM Grand or T-Mobile Arena.

I’ll concede that I’ll be plugged-in by one means or another – not because I’m expecting particularly fierce competition or an unforgettably dramatic ending – but rather because the mortgage company tends not to ask whether I wholeheartedly endorse my work when I send them their check each month.

In other words, if someone were to offer me $100 million to turn pro and fight Floyd Mayweather, I’d take it in a blink. And I’d wager the same night’s pay that the ones with the longest and loudest protests about Conor McGregor doing so wouldn’t have hesitated if it was them who’d received the call.

They’re the two most recognizable names in combat sports and they’re getting together.

So whether it’s a boxing match in a ring, an MMA fight in a cage or a game of “Around the World” at the Clark County YMCA gym, there’s no insult, disgrace or absurdity in admitting it’s interesting.

mayweather-mcgregor_26

I’ll cover it for the same reasons. Because it’s newsworthy and noteworthy, and because millions and millions of people in this country and others have the same viewpoint.

All that said, if you simply won’t be satisfied without outrage, there’s plenty to go around.

For example, be sure to save some for the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, who was happy to create his own “middleweight” rules while his promotional golden goose was the 160-pound lineal champion, and wanted little more a few months ago than to get his own man a date with the Irishman, but these days is labeling Mayweather-McGregor a money grab from which boxing “might not ever recover.”

It’s a galling tantrum from a guy who’s foisted Canelo vs. Liam Smith and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on pay-per-view customers in the last nine months (at the hardly rock-bottom prices of $64.99 and $69.99, by the way) and it reads far less like a defense of the sport’s good name and far more like a petty foot stomp because the late-summer show arrives smack dab in the run-up to Canelo-Golovkin on Sept. 16.

And while you’re at it, go ahead and toss some shade, too, at the World Boxing Council, for angling to gets its own fingers into the cash pie by suggesting it could deem the August proceedings worthy of a “Diamond” championship belt – whose baubles may indeed be gaudy but whose practical value to fighters and fans is roughly equivalent to a diamond-shaped bucket of cat urine.

Though WBC rules provide flowery rationale that the belt will “recognize the most extraordinary and

elite boxer in a division” or elevate a mere fight to the level of “extraordinary bout,” all it really provides is a chance for Mauricio Sulaiman and Co. to get a few hundred thousand more sanctioning dollars and a few dozen more breathy mentions by journalistic rubes unaware of the Mexico City-based nonsense.

You want a crime against boxing’s humanity, folks? There’s your crime.

And here’s hoping that the suits at Mayweather Promotions give the green-belt cartel the same sort of response Lou DiBella sent De La Hoya’s way: In other words, “shut the f--- up.”

Sure, it’s not as convenient as lobbing snarky grenades at the generation’s top in-ring villain or vilifying an octagonal interloper who’d dare rake in nine figures for a pro debut while others are toiling for nickels and dimes... but hey, no one ever said being self-righteous was easy.

* * * * * * * * * *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBF lightweight title – Toledo, Ohio

Robert Easter Jr. (champion/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Denis Shafikov (No. 1 IBF/No. 12 IWBR)

Easter (19-0, 14 KO): Second title defense; Fourth fight in Ohio (3-0, 2 KO)

Shafikov (38-2-1, 20 KO): Third title fight (0-2); Three KOs in 11 scheduled 12-round fights (8-2-1, 3 KO)

Fitzbitz says: It’s a good litmus test for Easter, whose level of awesome has dropped as the level of foe has risen. Shafikov is an experienced lefty who’s been in with better foes. A tough out. Easter by decision

SUNDAY

IBF junior bantamweight title – Brisbane, Australia

Jerwin Ancajas (champion/No. 8 IWBR) vs. Teiru Kinoshita (No. 3 IBF/No. 31 IWBR)

Ancajas (26-1-1, 17 KO): Second title defense; Sixth fight outside the Philippines (5-0, 4 KO)

Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KO): Second title fight (0-1); First fight outside of Japan

Fitzbitz says: It’s a big stage for Ancajas, who’s been perfect so far in his trips away from his Filipino home. He’s in with a guy who fell far short in a first title try, and this shouldn’t be different. Ancajas in 9

WBO welterweight title – Brisbane, Australia

Manny Pacquiao (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Jeff Horn (No. 1 WBO/No. 28 IWBR)

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KO): First title defense; Held titles at 112, 122, 130, 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds

Horn (16-0-1, 11 KO): First title fight; Three KOs in four scheduled 12-round fights (4-0, 3 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Pac is at the point where he can turn old at any moment against an upstart, much like Hopkins did against Smith. But it says here that, against Horn, he won’t reach that point. Pacquiao in 5

Last week's picks: None

2017 picks record: 44-16 (73.3 percent)

Overall picks record: 866-290 (74.9 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.