Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight Preview: Ringside Doctors Say Bout Is Unsafe Because of McGregor's Lack of Experience
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Conor McGregor is going to walk out of the ring with a lot of money no matter what happens on Saturday, Aug. 26. However, it's just as likely he will get seriously hurt during the bout and the repercussions may be life-threatening. That's why a lot of ringside doctors don't think he should be allowed to face a boxing legend like Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the first place.
"We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on. The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody's going to get really hurt in this upcoming fight," Association of Ringside Physicians president Dr. Larry Lovelace told the New York Times.
Members of the organization have years of experience working on hundreds of bouts in Nevada, New York and other jurisdictions and they have seen firsthand how bad a fight can turn out if one fighter is severely overmatched in the boxing ring.
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A couple of months ago, former UFC fighter-turned-boxer Tim Hague died days after his bout against Adam Braidwood. His opponent simply outclassed him and he was knocked out in the second round of their bout. Unfortunately, Hague suffered serious brain injury and he was hospitalized after the fight. He died two days later. Hague had a lot of experience inside the cage and it was his fourth pro boxing match.
Retired boxing referee Richard Steele also noted that he's not sure he would have sanctioned the bout between McGregor and Mayweather.
"Here's a guy from one sport, challenging the world's best in his own sport — I really don't know how it's going to work. He can't kick. He can't elbow. He can't do nothing. Nothing that he's used to doing that makes him a great M.M.A. fighter," Steele said, via the New York Times.
McGregor is a professional fighter who has years of mixed martial arts (MMA) experience under his belt. However, he's a neophyte boxer who has never had an amateur or professional fight in boxing, and he happens to be facing one of the greatest boxers of all-time. Will he walk out of the ring with his health intact?
