By Keith Idec
Count Carl Froch among those that cannot envision Mayweather-McGregor being remotely competitive.
The retired super middleweight champion told Sky Sports News HQ at Wimbledon on Monday that the comparatively inexperienced McGregor will have difficulty getting near Mayweather, forget landing a punch during their August 26 boxing match.
“Should it be happening? Well no, because it’s mixed martial arts against boxing,” said Froch, who works as an analyst for Sky Sports. “So it shouldn’t be happening, but that’s the world we live in now. I think it’s a big fight. It’s exciting. It’s dramatic.
“There’s people saying it’s pantomime. It’s not pantomime, because Conor McGregor can fight. But he’s not a boxer. You know, so it’s gonna be very, very difficult for McGregor to do anything, make any kind of impact on Floyd Mayweather.”
That doesn’t mean Froch won’t watch their fight. Like millions of others, England’s Froch is looking forward to seeing this spectacle unfold next month in Las Vegas. The 40-year-old Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs), who hasn’t fought since September 2015, is a little more than a 5-1 favorite against McGregor (21-3, 18 KOs in MMA).
Ireland’s McGregor will participate in his first professional boxing match when he meets Mayweather in their 12-round, 154-pound bout in Las Vegas (Showtime Pay-Per-View).
“Mayweather’s been out of the ring now a couple of years, so you just never know,” Froch said. “So the big question marks are there, and you know, it’s an entertainment business, boxing, as is mixed martial arts. And both of them are top entertainers, so people are gonna tune in and watch it. I’ll be watching it. I am looking forward to it.”
Mayweather hasn’t taken opponents lightly since he turned nearly 21 years ago and Froch doesn’t expect him to start with McGregor.
“I don’t think so,” Froch said. “I think Mayweather is too much of a professional. I don’t think he’ll switch off. He’ll be using his sharp jab and his movement, and I think Conor McGregor will really, really struggle to just get near him, let alone land a punch.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.