Superstar Floyd Mayweather yesterday let members of the media into the gym he is using as he trains for his upcoming crossover match with Conor McGregor, and by all accounts the 40 year old is pushing himself as hard as he always has for a fight. For despite the fact that most people see the August fight as one Mayweather can not lose – his sheer boxing brilliance combined with his vast experience being way, way, way too much for McGregor a complete boxing novice – “Money” simply cannot stand the idea of losing a fight; any fight.
And according to Mayweather’s trainer Nate Jones, who spoke with Lance Pugmire of The LA Times, Mayweather is working so hard, as though he were “getting ready to fight Mike Tyson.”
“Because losing is like death to him,” Jones said in regards to his fighter’s astonishing and constant work ethic. “He’ll never take anyone lightly. Did you see his work today? It’s amazing. He’s taking on kids 22-23 years old and he’s burning them out. And he’s moving like he’s 25.”
No chance of Floyd leaving the fight in the gym, then? This would possibly be McGregor’s only hope; despite the fan support the MMA star is enjoying, his fans claiming to anyone who will listen that he will KO Mayweather. Say what you want about the upcoming fight, but one thing is undeniable: Mayweather, who calls himself TBE, The Best Ever, is almost certainly the hardest, most dedicated trainer in the history of boxing.
Even the truly great ones, such as Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Roberto Duran entered the ring when not in the best of physical shape at least once or twice, but this will never happen with Mayweather; very possibly the best conditioned 40 year old athlete in the history of sports.
How much Mayweather’s fitness, sharpness and desire will make McGregor pay in the ring in Las Vegas remains to be seen. But if he’s ready to dish out, as he’s fond of saying, “blood, sweat and tears,” things could get nasty for the Irishman who will be entering a boxing ring for the very first (and last?) time.