Over the past week or so, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have been going across the globe doing their thing, trash talking each other while hyping up their August 26 mega-fight (in some cases in cringeworthy ways):
It's a polarizing fight, one that has been in the makings for months to the point to where there is actually 24 minutes worth of clips of trash talking before they finally gave in and settled on the terms to their fight:
It's a huge fight for both parties. Mayweather of course, for both the chance to remain undefeated at 50-0 (along with his newfound ability to hopefully settle his debts with the IRS), and McGregor for the chance to prove he is arguably the best current pound-for-pound fighter regardless of the division, and regardless, for the chance to make more money that he has made in his entire career thus far. (seriously it's a lot)
On the other hand, in my view, as important as this sport is for both fighters, it's even more so to the sport of boxing. Of course, when most people think of boxing, particularly it's greatest figures and moments, people think of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Sugar Ray Leonard, and so on. In other words, they don't think of Floyd Mayweather. That is due to a few reasons.
Firstly, it is without question that boxing is on the decline. It is a sport that is consistently declining in terms of talent influx, which has led to a loss of popularity amongst the casual fan, which has led to a significant loss in pay per view viewers (in other words, their revenue stream).
Secondly, that lack of talent has led to a lack of competition for Floyd, and while certain sports have proven that a juggernaut that other opponents can't compete against, judging by the declining revenues and PPV's, boxing is more of the norm, not the exception. Part of that is almost certainly due to the long-term effects of the sport on some of those aforementioned names. Ali, the greatest and most famous boxer to ever live, in addition to being a highly influential figure in regard to many avenues, was a shell of himself in the years before his passing last year:
Looking at the clear and eminent dangers associated with boxing, combined with the increased popularity of football and basketball (among sports), and it is easy to see why the world's best athletes would shy away from the sport in favor of sports that take less of a toll, and in many cases, enable them to be more popular, have bigger paydays, and live better lives long term.
And finally, going off of that, one of the biggest reasons for boxing's decline is Floyd himself. Floyd, along with McGregor for that matter, is a pretty detestable human. In his case, it is Mayweather's history of domestic violence, along with a history of derogatory slurs (such as calling Manny Pacquiao a faggot, and telling him to "make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice") that cross the line from trash talk to just being a crappy person. That combined with his fighting style being described as more defensive, which for boxing is a ratings killer, and it's easy to see why people aren't comfortable viewing Floyd as a titan of the sport. On the other hand, I doubt Mayweather particularly cares, seeing how his primary goal of fighting isn't to be popular or make friends, but to make money, even if some think it's at boxing's expense.
On the other hand, if Floyd were to lose this fight, it would be a huge hit to one of the oldest sports, and one that has a significant presence throughout human history. One can't dispute that boxing is far from it's heyday, and having the top fighter from UFC, a competing sport growing in popularity, take out the best fighter boxing has had to offer for the last 2 decades, would be a crushing blow to the sport from both a financial and emotional perspective.
Now, to throw some water on that fire, based on the general public's reaction, McGregor actually beating Mayweather seems pretty unlikely. While the odds are starting to shift more towards McGregor after their run of pre-fight hoopla, many still think he doesn't have a faint chance of beating Mayweather. And to be honest, whether or not the fight is competitive probably doesn't even matter, at least in the short term. Regardless of the fight's outcome, both fighters and sports get a significant influx of popularity and attention, and most importantly, a lot of money. Yet if the fight is actually competitive, the WBO (World Boxing Organization) better hope Floyd wins. Boxing may never be great again, but I imagine in this case they'd be fine with remaining where they are from a popularity perspective, to at least stop the bleeding. For if he loses, we may see another line of articles titled "boxing is dead," yet this time, it might not be a prediction.
