Farhood: If McGregor Goes 12, The Press Will Hammer Mayweather

Hall of Famer and Showtime Sports veteran commentator, Steve Farhood, expects Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0, 26 KOs) to get blasted by the boxing media if he does not secure a knockout victory next month, when he faces UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a boxing match.

Mayweather, 40 years old, comes back from a two year retirement for what he's billing as his final appearance in a boxing ring, on August 26th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

McGregor, the most popular fighter in mixed martial arts, has no professional boxing experience.

McGregor has placed himself in a no-lose situation, but Mayweather could take a lot of heat - just by McGregor managing to last the entire twelve round distance.  

Farhood believes that Mayweather - if he senses any danger - will play it safe and outbox McGregor for a decision. But if he sees the openings, and there is little danger, Farhood expects Mayweather to go for a knockout.

"We know Floyd and his mentality. If he can go for the knockout and views that as very low risk, he’ll do it. If he views it as risking anything, he won’t do it at all, he’ll win twelve rounds. If he goes twelve rounds, he will get hammered by the boxing press, and I can understand it," Farhood told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

"I think the crowd is going to be pro McGregor from the start because McGregor is such a huge underdog and it would such an amazing story if he happened to pull off this monumental upset. I can see Floyd maybe dominating and then in round seven or eight the crowd turning on him a little bit if he doesn’t go for a knockout and plays it safe. If Floyd can win twelve rounds without getting hit, he’s going to win twelve rounds without getting hit."

If the fight becomes competitive, Farhood admits that it's going to look bad for the sport, but he does not expect that to happen.

"Is it going to be a competitive fight? If it is, then it doesn’t say much for boxing because McGregor has never had a professional fight. I don’t want to make a prediction because I do score the fights and I only lose if I make a prediction, but I expect Floyd Mayweather to do very well," Farhood said.