By Leigh Steinberg
Original Post on Forbes.com
Another "Fight Of The Century" is coming up with the announcement that unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight Champion Conor McGregor will box on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor started talking about his desire to fight Mayweather on social media some months ago and Mayweather advisor Al Hayman and UFC President Dana White reached accord today. This may well be the highest grossing boxing event ever, but the match itself will probably be quite one-sided.
Fans love novelty and spectacle. There has long been speculation as to what would happen if a traditional boxer fought with a mixed martial arts fighter. When female tennis player Billie Jean King took on aging male player Bobby Riggs it created a national male v. female sensation. Dog bites man is not a story, man bites dog is. The publicity and hype surrounding this event will be enormous. Showtime holds the pay-per-view rights and it is possible that each fighter could take home as much as $100 million.
Both of these fighters are gifted promoters with color and flair. They have both produced controversial quotes which can stir up public interest. The first press conference with both fighters present may be an exciting conflict in and of itself.
Both boxing and mixed martial arts have dedicated followers who think that their sport is the ultimate test of athletic prowess and have a healthy disrespect for the other sport. This fight has all the makings of a cattle rancher versus sheepherder feud.
This is a boxing match, with a straight boxing format. Floyd Mayweather has a career record of 49-0. He is a master of pugilistic arts and rarely gets hit hard. He has never lost against very talented opponents. He is considered the greatest boxer of his generation and among the best of all time. McGregor is at the top of his profession, but he has never boxed before, either at the amateur or professional level. He has only ten weeks to train and prepare for this match. It would take years to master straight boxing in a boxing format. He can't grab, kick or do any of the other skills that allow him to prevail in his sport.
Mayweather and McGregor are very likely to promote their way into the biggest purse of all time, but the match itself promises to be a one-way mismatch for Mayweather on points.