Mayweather vs. McGregor: 5 keys to victory for Floyd Mayweather

5. Avoid Fouls/No In-fighting

Floyd Mayweather possesses an undefeated record, but he’s had several fights that have been close. He had two close fights against Jose Luis Castillo back in 2002 and had problems with Marcos Maidana in their first fight in May of 2014.

Both Castillo and Maidana had moments in their fights with Mayweather where they played the role of bully. They had success when they were able to turn their boxing matches into brawls. When Mayweather gets trapped against the ropes or in a corner, he is vulnerable to body shots, which can lead to headshots.

Maidana, in particular, had a lot of success against Mayweather in the first six rounds of their first fight. He lowered his head and moved forward while throwing punches with reckless abandonment. He was willing to eat Mayweather’s best punches in order to deliver his own. This took a toll on Mayweather. Maidana was probably the best power-puncher that he has ever faced.

It also took a toll on Maidana. He threw so many punches in the first six rounds that he ended up gassed in the second half of the fight. Mayweather restored order when he was able to box and no longer found himself in a brawl.

McGregor’s only chance in this fight is to make it a brawl. He is used to wrestling and kicking opponents inside of an octagon, so there is a fair chance that his MMA instincts will come out in the boxing ring. He runs the risk of getting penalized or disqualified if he does this, but he could also inflict some damage on Mayweather illegally.

Mayweather needs to assume that McGregor is going to resort to rough house tactics. He needs to act like a matador in the ring. When McGregor charges, he needs to get out of the way.  He needs to box McGregor and avoid brawling at all costs.