LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. closed out his distinguished career at 50-0. UFC champion Conor McGregor lasted into the 10th round in his pro boxing debut against the best boxer of his generation.
So, both men could declare victory Saturday night in their novelty boxing match at T-Mobile Arena.
Mayweather, 40, set aside the ills of age after a slow start, finding his groove to hammer McGregor with a series of punches that led to a 10th-round technical-knockout victory in front of 14,623 spectators, well shy of T-Mobile’s capacity of more than 20,000.
“He’s a lot better than I thought he was, but I was the better man,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather did little offensively in the first four rounds, as McGregor landed clean jabs, punches and even some dubious mixed martial arts-inspired hammer fists to the back of the head.
But Mayweather soon reverted to the master tactician who knows how to win rounds, peppering McGregor with an impressive three-punch series of right hands in the sixth round.
His accuracy and tempo increased into the ninth, when McGregor resorted to desperate holds after being hurt by blows. Mayweather perfectly timed what he said was a strategy to test McGregor’s cardio endurance beyond the longest possible UFC fight.
“We know in MMA he fights for 25 minutes,” Mayweather said. “After 25 minutes, he started to slow down.”
Said McGregor: “I thought I took the early rounds pretty handily. He had to change his style, and he adjusted.”
In the 10th, Mayweather crushed McGregor with three hard rights as part of an onslaught that convinced referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight 1 minute, 5 seconds into the round.
“I was just a little fatigued,” McGregor said. “He was just a lot more composed with his shots. I have to give it to him. That’s what 50 pro fights will do for you.”
All three judges had Mayweather leading at the stoppage. Dave Moretti had it 87-83, Burt Clements 89-82 and Guido Cavalleri had it 89-81.
“I guaranteed everybody this fight wouldn’t go the distance,” Mayweather said. “Boxing’s reputation was on the line. Boxing’s a hell of a sport.”
Mayweather’s previous fight, against Manny Pacquiao in May 2015, was not a great night for the sport. It was dull and plodding.
“I owed (fans) for the Pacquiao fight,” Mayweather said. “I said I wouldn’t back down.”
McGregor proudly hung in as total punches landed were 88-82 in Mayweather’s favor after seven rounds. He also showed an impressive jab, landing 27 to Mayweather’s 18.
In the end, Mayweather out-landed McGregor 170-111 in total punches, and 152-84 in power punches.
But McGregor can boast that nine of Mayweather’s opponents in 12-round fights landed fewer than 100 punches in the entire bout. McGregor posted his 111 in less than 10 full rounds.
“When you’re here in the squared circle, everything is different,” McGregor said. “He’s composed. Not that fast or powerful, but, boy, is he composed.”
McGregor embraced Mayweather afterward, the pair sharing complimentary words.
“Conor’s a hell of a champion,” Mayweather said.
After the fight, McGregor said he thought Byrd should have let the bout go on, even though he didn’t immediately dispute the stoppage in the ring after ducking and showing no willingness to throw a punch to answer Mayweather’s attack.
“Let me try to recompose myself,” the 29-year-old McGregor said. “I’m brand new to the sport. Let me walk back to my corner.”
He was left to accept a moral triumph of sorts, knowing more millions of dollars await as he promised to return to UFC fighting, far prouder than he was when he lost to Nate Diaz in a UFC fight last year.
“I’ve been strangled on live TV and came back,” McGregor cracked.
