Floyd Mayweather – Beware the luck of the Irish

The past few weeks have served up a whirlwind of banter as loyal fans of The Money Team and ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor hurled insults, jibes, wild predictions, and even crazier bets on what will be the highest grossing boxing bout of all time.

Read: McGregor vs Mayweather: Fighting experts weigh in on the match

In one corner, 40-year-old Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring two years after his 'retirement'. The five-division champion is undefeated in 49 professional fights and risks his pristine record going for that half-century of wins in the ring.

In the other corner is UFC Champion Conor McGregor. He has backed up his incredible trash-talking by winning both the featherweight and lightweight belts in the UFC – becoming the most popular figure the sport has ever seen.

Read: OPINION: Mayweather will smash McGregor

Both of these men are rich. Both of these men are entertainers. Both of these men are masters of their crafts.

Mayweather is one of the greatest boxers of all time. He is a defensive genius, having danced and dodged his way through an unbeaten 15-year career.

McGregor is a pitbull of a fighter. He burst onto the UFC scene and paid his dues before he got a shot at the Featherweight Championship belt. Confident, arrogant, cocksure – call him what you want. His trash-talking made him popular among fans and his aggressive fighting style won him two belts.

Also read: Mayweather and McGregor in racism clash

The line is drawn here, Mayweather is a boxer and McGregor is an MMA FIGHTER.

The Irishman has the skillset to step into a boxing ring, but Mayweather would likely be demolished in an octagon. And this is why a lot of people are upset about this fight.

Videos of McGregor’s boxing training have had the purists laughing, while avid boxing fans think his foray into their domain does nothing but sully the sport. It’s hard to argue against that – McGregor wasn’t throwing amazing combinations on the bag in some of those videos.

Nevertheless, he is a fierce competitor and he will put up a fight.

I’ve been bombarded by news articles obsessing over the money both fighters stand to make out of this bout. It is after all being dubbed ‘The Money Fight’. GET OVER IT! These are the two biggest names in their respective sports right now and they’re going to make a lot of money.

I don’t care about the flaunting of cars, money, mansions, and gambling – that’s all a side show.

Also read: Conor Mcgregor promises to knock out Mayweather in 4 rounds

Even though he will walk away a richer man win or lose, Mayweather has everything to lose in this fight and that is what excites me. He is the favourite by far and that is where he might be caught out.

McGregor is the upset king, the mangiest of underdogs, and he would like nothing more than to beat the Money Man of boxing.

While the pragmatic, logical part of my brain tells me to put R100 down on Mayweather to win, the sports fan in me insists that I put on my leprechaun outfit, grab a pint of Guinness, and back the luck of the Irish on Sunday morning.

Also read: Pacqiuao wants Mayweather rematch

I hope McGregor wins – purely because I love sport and I love seeing people push the boundaries of what they’re capable of.

Whether you’re backing Mayweather or the Notorious, it’s going to be one hell of a fight.