by Cliff Rold

The big question heading to the circus last weekend was would we be entertained?

When the circus is done right, it’s meant to entertain. Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor wasn’t much of a fight; there was never really any doubt about who was going to win.

But it was fun and they put on a good show. For those who followed the build including watching the initial press conferences (and this scribe admits he did not, though highlights were inescapable), the payoff was a scrap with a definitive ending and a referee who basically stayed out of the way.
 
Let’s go to the report card.

Grades

Speed: Mayweather A-; McGregor ?/Post: A-B
Power: Mayweather B; McGregor ?/Post: B; C
Defense: Mayweather A+; McGregor ?/Post: B+; C-
Intangibles: Mayweather A+; McGregor ?/Post: A+; B+

Let’s start off with one of the bigger questions out of this affair: did Floyd carry McGregor for a portion of the fight?

Short of Mayweather saying so it’s all conjecture…but he sure didn’t seem to be throwing much for the first three rounds. When he did start to open up, the results were obvious. Mayweather’s shots were sharper, faster, crisper, and a body shot in the fourth made McGregor wince in a way that his first three rounds could be seen as the mirage they were.

Mayweather got tagged a few times, and even seemed a little surprised by the sneaky early uppercut of McGregor. Robert Byrd seemed to really, really be letting them settle it in the ring and that was probably the right way to go.

The sheer size difference at full rehydration was impressive to look at and added to the spectacle. Mayweather’s vaunted defense was less apparent this time around as he pressed and forced the action. He seemed to realize early McGregor couldn’t hurt him and was more willing to let his opponent land than in his norm.

Given how many early rounds Floyd gave up to start before he seemed to really get serious on offense, one could have seen McGregor winning four or five rounds before Mayweather went to work in the ninth.

McGregor’s stamina wasn’t up for the full twelve rounds but the punishment he was taking would have affected him much earlier as well. He deserves a tip of the cap. Even for the paycheck involved, boxing isn’t a normal sport. To give up so much of what makes him good at his game and step into the ring with Floyd took guts. He gave an honest effort in a fight he was never going to win.

The end result may be a readjustment of the UFC pay scale. McGregor’s star just grew. It’s going to cost a lot to bring him back.

Is there any price that could bring Mayweather back again? He says no but there has never really been a revenue machine like him. Adjusted for inflation, he’s still the biggest cash draw in the history of boxing. If someone starts to get their name big enough, rich enough, before Mayweather is too old to do it again, could we see him back?

Or does he ride off, 50-0 and waiting for the Hall of Fame?

If he does, the people who paid to see it will remember they had a good time on the last ride. Maybe that was part of the point all along.

Report Card Picks 2017: 32-12 (Including Jack-Cleverly, Tabiti-Cunningham, Cotto-Kamegai, and Vargas-Rios)

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com