https://youtu.be/oNizPKzpth8?t=24m54s
And… Exhale. Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is over. Floyd defeated Conor via 10th round knockout, and now the athletes are basking in their success. Floyd said he broke his own records — not only the Pacquiao fight PPV buy record, but the gate record, bringing in over $80 million. Floyd was incredibly calm explaining that he did exactly what he wanted to do, and did exactly what he said he’d do, despite being a 40-year-old man.
I told you guys I’d come straight ahead. With coming in straight ahead I was gonna take some contact. I could have sat back and just boxed and counter-punched and made it boring. I didn’t wanna do that. I felt like I owed the fans a last hurrah, so I went out there and that was the gameplan. Me and my dad communicated before we went out there, the entire gameplan was to go out there and let him shoot heavy shots from the beginning, take him down the stretch and do what we do best, and that’s what we did tonight.
We had a cool training camp. I didn’t box, for the last month I didn’t do any sparring. But no excuses, he came out here and he fought a hell of a fight. Hell of a stand-up guy and I just went out there and do what I do best. Found a way to trap him and broke him down.
Floyd explained that in the end, Rocky Marciano paved the way for him to be in the position that he was in. Every fight, not just win 47, 48 or 49 mattered more than the other, they all were key in the lead up to this superfight.
He also gave McGregor more than his fair share of due, even though he admitted he didn’t feel like a 40-year-old man.
Our gameplan was to take our time, let him shoot all his heavy shots, keep walking him down, keep walking him down, shoot heavy shots to the body, shoot big shots upstairs. My dad thought it was gonna be a little bit earlier of a round, the seventh or the sixth. But it took us longer than we expected, but we did what we said we was going to do.
And I promise everybody, I told you I guarantee you this fight wasn’t going for the distance. I told you I was going for the knockout, I told you I was going straight ahead, and with going straight ahead you’re going to take contact. I understand that.
After 21 years in the sport of boxing, I have some great fights, I had some boring fights. But at the end of the day I will always be remembered as a winner. No matter how you win, as long as you win. And I know how to dissect my opponent, I know how to go out there and break him down and stick to the gameplan.
I just want to help these fighters. I look forward to becoming a boxing trainer, helping trainer, it’s no different than my dad is a hell of a trainer. He taught me this sport, and everything he taught me from day one I still know, but I want to help other trainers help make other fighters better, and teach fighters about becoming a superstar not just in the ring but on the outside. A lot of times fighters think ‘Oh, I’m undefeated’ or ‘I’m a knockout puncher, that makes me a superstar.’ It takes more than that. It takes a lot of work on the outside, and surround yourself with the right team to become a mega superstar.
Mayweather explained his game plan, saying weight doesn’t win fights, talking doesn’t win fights, fighting wins fights. He knew exactly what he was going to do and how to do it. He broke down McGregor’s ebb and flow, and what he needed to do to weather the storm, rope-a-dope, and then put the pressure on later in the round. He wasn’t there to bash McGregor. Business was done.
Ultimately, the bottom line was simple: “If I have the opportunity to make $300 million in 36 minutes, I’m gonna do it.”
And he went 50-0.
