Despite what you may think, Conor McGregor does have a puncher's chance against Floyd Mayweather.
"There are some things that can beat smartness and foresight? Awkwardness and stupidity can. The best swordsman in the world doesn't need to fear the second best swordsman in the world; no, the person for him to be afraid of is some ignorant antagonist who has never had a sword in his hand before; he doesn't do the thing he ought to do, and so the expert isn't prepared for him; he does the thing he ought not to do; and often it catches the expert out and ends him on the spot". - Mark Twain
It's only been two weeks since the announcement of the boxing showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor and we've already heard the pundits and 'experts' state, over and over again, that the UFC lightweight champion has no chance against boxing's pound-for-pound No.1.
It's easy to see why so many combat sports elitists share this viewpoint: Mayweather, who is one of the greatest boxers ever to lace up the gloves, is taking on a man who, despite being a two-weight UFC champ, has no professional boxing experience and has never stepped foot inside a boxing ring on the world's stage.
Mayweather, a defensive wizard who has made some of the best boxers look like they don't belong in the ring with him, will, in all likelihood, thrash McGregor from pillar to post. It should, by all means, be a one-sided demolition. An expert craftsman, with thousands of hours and decades of experience under his belt, schooling the arrogant novice. The master samurai slaying the untrained barbarian.
That's how this battle — if you could call it that — should play out. But to state that McGregor, an awkward, unorthodox boxer with size and youth on his side, has no chance — zero, nada, zilch — against Mayweather is patently absurd. It's the rookie's clumsiness, awkwardness, and naivety that gives him a chance — perhaps the best chance he has — at catching the master off guard.
Mayweather, who will be looking to extend his 49-0 career resume to a perfect 50-0, understands the subtle complexities of movement, distance, and timing. 'Money' has the 'sweet science' down to a science, but McGregor, 28, has awkwardness and stupidity — and awkwardness and stupidity can lead to error. Error, in a sword fight or fist fight, could be fatal. It takes one calculated miscalculation (McGregor does the thing he ought not to do) to change the course of battle.
We've all been there, right?
You have a 4.01 kill-death ratio (KDR) in Call of Duty and invite your noob, 0.54 KDR friend over for some games. This amateur has no understanding of the underlying mechanics; no knowledge of the difference between a three-shot pistol and a four-shot battle rifle; doesn't know his rocket launcher from his rail gun; his shock rifle from his flak cannon; or his bunny hop from his strafe jump. And yet when the game starts, 'OoNoSc0peV1oO' vs. 'iiQuadshotii', you're killed with a no scope off the bat. 'He wasn't supposed to turn that corner; why the hell did he switch to his sniper rifle?! I have a 4.01 KDR and one of the best flick shots in the game!' Your good buddy, 'OoNoSc0peV1oO' with the underwhelming 0.54 KDR, catches you off guard due to his erratic and unpredictable playstyle. He does so again and again and gets far more kills on the board than he should have. 'Beginner's luck'.
That's precisely why 'The Notorious' stands a chance, a puncher's chance, against the best boxer in the game. Beginner's luck. Awkwardness. Clumsiness. Stupidity.
Mayweather has beaten the Canelos and Pacquiaos, calculated their every move with surgical precision, but he hasn't beaten Conor McGregor. Yet. The world's best swordsman has beat the second best swordsman; but not the drunken monkey Irishman.
And that's what makes this fight so compelling for the casual sports fan, isn't it? The what if. Because, what if clumsiness and awkwardness do beat expertise and craftsmanship on August 26? Where do we, as hardcore MMA and boxing fans, go from there?
