Mayweather Finishes Off McGregor In 10th Round Of Boxing Spectacle
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Floyd Mayweather Jr. stopped UFC champion Conor McGregor on his feet in the 10th round Saturday night, ending the boxing spectacle of the summer with a harsh dose of reality.
The most unusual megafight in years went longer and was more competitive than many expected when an unbeaten, five-division world champion boxer took on a mixed martial artist making his pro boxing debut.
While McGregor (0-1) had the T-Mobile Arena crowd behind his improbable quest, Mayweather (50-0) survived a rough beginning and gradually took control. He brutalized McGregor in the 10th, landing numerous shots and chasing McGregor around the ring until referee Robert Byrd saved the Irishman and stopped the fight.
By Rounds:
Round 1: Conor McGregor came right out to the middle of the ring to meet Mayweather and landed a good uppercut in the first round.
He kept Mayweather away with pawing right jab.
Unofficial AP score: McGregor 10-9.
Round 2: Conor McGregor is fighting a good tactical fight, using his reach to control the action.
Neither fighter lands much in the round but McGregor pulls off another one as Floyd Mayweather remains tentative.
Unofficial AP score: McGregor 10-9, Total 20-18
Round 3: Conor McGregor continues to use his jab and size to keep Floyd Mayweather Jr. off balance.
Mayweather is searching for openings but not finding them. McGregor switches from southpaw to conventional to try and fool Mayweather.
Unofficial AP score: McGregor 10-9, Total 30-27
Round 4: Floyd Mayweather is pursuing Conor McGregor, who keeps him away with his jab.
But Mayweather begins to connect for the first time in the fight, landing some solid head punches.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total McGregor 39-37
Round 5: Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to pursue Conor McGregor who tries to keep him off with little flurries. But Mayweather seems to be figuring something out and lands a hard left in the final minute.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total McGregor 48-47
Round 6: Floyd Mayweather steps up the pace and begins landing in volume. He batters Conor McGregor with a series of punches and lands some good lead right hands. McGregor's punches seem to lack snap.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total 57-57
Round 7: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is starting to have his way with Conor McGregor, chasing after him and landing punches to the head. McGregor appears to be tiring as Mayweather keeps the pressure on.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total Mayweather 67-66
Round 8: Action slows some but the tone of the fight remains the same. Conor McGregor is fighting in flurries, back-pedaling as Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps after him.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total Mayweather 77-75
Round 9: Floyd Mayweather Jr. has no fear of Conor McGregor's punches and he lands big combinations to the head that shake McGregor. A tired McGregor holds on trying to stay upright as Mayweather batters him around the ring.
Unofficial AP score: Mayweather 10-9, Total Mayweather 87-84
---------
Conor McGregor made his ring walk with an Irish flag draped over his shoulders. He pumped his fists in the air to the crowd, which cheered loudly.
McGregor's handlers held aloft his UFC title belts after he got into the ring for his first pro boxing match.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., meanwhile got a bit theatrical, wearing what looks like a ski mask under an oversized hat. He was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos.
The odds at fight time favored Mayweather by about a 5-1 margin.
The Big Money:
The big money continued rolling in just before fight time at this city's sports books, with several million-dollar bets on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Conor McGregor.
Bookies had faced taking a big loss because McGregor tickets outnumbered Mayweather tickets by as much as 18-1 at some books. But the big bets started coming in Thursday on Mayweather and at the William Hill chain of sports books 74 percent of the money on straight bets was on Mayweather.
There were a handful of million-dollar bets on Mayweather, with three coming in just hours before the fight. The biggest reported bet on McGregor is $100,000.
Bookmakers saying they would post a big loss had McGregor beat Mayweather, especially if he stoped him early. A Mayweather wins, though, is a big score by the sports books.
Mayweather was minus 600 at William Hill, down from 11-1 when the fight was announced.
The fight ending up being the biggest bet fight ever, breaking the mark of about $50 million set in Mayweather's win over Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
