Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who lost to American fighter Floyd Mayweather by TKO in the tenth round of his boxing debut, called the fight “fun” but the referee “rushed” when stopping it.
“It was a fun fight and I hope you all enjoyed it,” said McGregor, who claimed that he could have continued in the fight and regretted that the referee cut him off when he was better.
“He should have let me keep hitting from behind, because he (Mayweather) turned around on purpose,” said the Irishman.
McGregor recognized, however, that the undefeated American champion, who left his mark at 50-0, the best of all time by beating that of Rocky Marciano, always made good decisions in the ring.
“He showed that he is a very focused fighter, fast, that he does not make mistakes and that he selects both his movements and his punches well,” said McGregor. “But I think that when the referee decided to stop the fight we were in the fight. In fact, I think he was 5-4 up in the previous nine rounds. “
However, the cards of the three judges showed the opposite. Only one gave McGregor a three-round winner; the other two gave him the victory in one and in the ninth they put him 10-8 in favor of Mayweather.
“I think it was a close match and the referee was quick to stop it, since he was just a little tired,” McGregor said at a press conference.
But the images of the fight show how he receives up to twelve consecutive blows to the face without responding to any.
“I have to give him credit because his shots were very accurate,” he admitted about his rival.
McGregor reiterated that he was satisfied with the exchange of blows and with forcing Mayweather to behave like a Mexican fighter who always attacks for victory.
“I turned him into a Mexican tonight, he fought like a Mexican,” McGregor said at the end of the fight, acknowledging the aggressiveness of the American fighter, who fulfilled the promise of finishing the short way and not leaving the judges the opportunity to decide the Fight.
McGregor insisted: “I won the first three rounds, the fourth was even, so we were up in the fight when it was stopped. I was surprised by the ratings of the judges.
The Irish fighter took a guaranteed purse of $ 35 million, which he can increase with the percentage he receives from the sale of pay television.
Regarding the experience of having debuted in the world of boxing, stressed that it was very different from that of mixed martial arts.
«The check was very good, but the sport of boxing it’s very different and complicated, ”said 29-year-old McGregor. Now I have to think about mixed martial arts again.
For his part, Dana White, the president of the UFC, the most important mixed martial arts organization, said he was proud of McGregor’s behavior in the ring.
“I am very proud of Conor (McGregor), it was a different fight than I expected, he did ten rounds and that is something very important,” said White after concluding the fight. «He is a very rare and special athlete, who gives everything in everything he does. I think if he had started as a professional boxer it would have been very good.
White does not think there will be more similar matches with another representative of mixed martial arts.
“I do not think so. Although McConor showed that he could compete with one of the best boxers of the last decades and he landed up to 111 punches, “said White.
However, not one of the blows that McGregor landed to Mayweather’s body and face did him the least external damage or put him at risk of going to the canvas, which was what he had ‘promised’ the day before the fight, and also do it in the first round. EFE