More than
100 doctors say Mayweather-McGregor fight should not have been allowed and fear
somebody will get 'really hurt'
The
Association of Ringside Physicians says Conor McGregor's lack of in-ring
experience makes his upcoming bout with Floyd Mayweather dangerous.
The
Association of Ringside Physicians says Conor McGregor's lack of in-ring
experience makes his upcoming bout with Floyd Mayweather dangerous.
On Saturday,
Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will meet in the boxing ring for the
biggest fighting spectacle of the year.
While
experts don't give McGregor much of a chance against one of the best-ever
defensive boxers, the public seems to believe in him — some sportsbooks report
that 95% of their bettors have put their money on McGregor.
But there's
one group that thinks McGregor will be so overmatched that the fight should
never have been sanctioned in the first place: the Association of Ringside Physicians.
According to
a New York Times report, the group, which has more than 100 members, was
surprised the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved the fight:
"'We
were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted
to carry on,' said Larry Lovelace, a doctor and the president of the
organization, which is focused on preserving fighter safety. 'The thing I
really fear, truly fear, is that somebody's going to get really hurt in this
upcoming fight.'"
The group's
concern is well-founded. Despite McGregor's skill as a fighter, much of his
learned skills are likely to be useless in the boxing ring, as he won't be able
to grapple, wrestle, throw elbows, or use any other "mixed" aspect of
mixed martial arts. At the same time, Mayweather has 20 years' worth of boxing
instincts, and he has defeated every fighter he's ever faced, all of whom have
boxing experience.
As the
article notes, there's precedent for MMA fighters getting injured in the boxing
ring. In June, the UFC veteran Tim Hague died two days after being knocked out
in the second round of his fourth career boxing match.
The Times
article also acknowledged the inherent conflict of interest that commissions
have when they set up fights:
"The
Nevada commission has a particularly large financial stake in the
Mayweather-McGregor bout. The state receives 8 percent of the gross revenue
from every ticket sold at a boxing event in Nevada, and the commission gets 25
percent of that amount.
"Leonard
Ellerbe, the chief executive of Mayweather Promotions, and Dana White, the
president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have told reporters that over
$60 million in tickets have been sold for the fight, which means Nevada stands
to receive in excess of $4.8 million, with the athletic commission's cut
topping $1.2 million."
Regardless
of the concerns of the Association of Ringside Physicians, there's no stopping
Mayweather and McGregor from duking it out in the ring this Saturday. The main
card is set to kick off at 9 p.m. ET, with the headline fight expected about
two hours after that.
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