15 June 2017

100 Bucks for . . . What???


I haven't paid attention to boxing in decades and to MMA ever. I'm not even clear on the difference between MMA and UFC.

But I don't live under a rock. (I live under suspicion.) So "news" of a Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight has reached me. Probably you too.

It's a big event. A Big Event. This year's Fight of the Century kind of thing. Hundreds of millions of dollars involved. And I've been hearing talk of a $100+ pay-per-view pricetag.

This makes me laugh.

Look, I don't know anything about this fight or these guys, but I do know enough to realize that it is a farce, a money grab, a publicity stunt and nothing else.

Consider some logic for a second:

1. Floyd Mayweather retired two years ago. He's coming out of retirement not to fight a great boxer, but for this sideshow. He's a massive favorite, which means he has nothing to gain except...an immense payday.

2. Mayweather's fights are notoriously dull. They are bad viewing. He's a defensive fighter with few knockouts. His last Fight of the Century against an aging Manny Pacquiao was reputedly a snorefest.

3. Conor McGregor isn't a boxer. Sure, he viciously punches people, but he also kicks and wrestles them. And he won't be allowed to do any of that in this fight. There are 45 boxers with a better chance than McGregor of winning this fight.

4. The run-up to the fight is where the action is. McGregor is a poet with a rapier wit and a mean streak. His scathing psychological carve-ups of opponents is incredibly entertaining. But that's yours for free. You don't need to pay $100 for it.

A lot of things in America boggle my mind. Unlike this, some of them actually matter. Nonetheless, I can't imagine why anyone would pay to see this carnival, or even dedicate an hour to it, much less shell out 100 clams for it. 

P.T. Barnum was a genius.

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