Floyd Mayweather Jr. realistic, Conor McGregor laughable at grand arrivals

(C) UFC president Dana White tries to keep Floyd and McGregor apart from each other at the press conference about Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor start their World  press Tour at Staples Center, July 11, 2017. In Los Angeles California. The two will fight August 26th in Las Vegas, NV  live on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Center.Photos by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor are separated by Dana White, president of the UFC, at a Los Angeles news conference in July/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Once Saturday’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC star Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is over, chances are Mayweather will have dominated like most think he will. It will probably be a very one-sided victory for Mayweather.

That doesn’t mean the combatants aren’t going to talk the talk all the way up to fight night, with an emphasis on saying things that will help drive up the pay-per-view numbers to record-breaking heights.

That was evident this week at the so-called “grand arrivals.”

“McGregor is a tough competitor,” Mayweather said. “He’s undefeated standing up. He’s never lost when striking. I know that I’m in for a tough fight. But there is one thing I do know, this fight is not going the distance. No matter what anyone says, it’s not going the distance.”

While Mayweather’s comments were reasonable, one of McGregor’s was laughable.

“Floyd can talk about whatever he wants to talk about,” he said. “He can talk any kind of trash he wants, because he’s talking to the new God of boxing.”

The fight will be available on Showtime pay-per-view for $89.99, $99.99 for high definition.

 

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Conor McGregor is simply in awe of his three-month-old son, Conor Jr.

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Conor McGregor works out on a heavy bag Friday at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Conor McGregor has a lot going through his head these days as, in less than two weeks, the UFC star will take on all-time great boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view). His three-month-old son Conor Jr. is also at the forefront of his mind.

“We were comparing pictures, side by side, from when I was that age and we’re like identical,” McGregor said Friday after a Las Vegas workout at the UFC Performance Institute. “I’m like, ‘Yes,’ because he’s going to look exactly like me. He has my name; it’s a legacy. I’m just in awe of my little man.”

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Abel Sanchez proud two Mexicans are trainers for big Sept. 16 showdown

Abel Sanchez/Photo courtesy of BoxRec.com

Abel Sanchez trains middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who Sept. 16 will defend his titles against Canelo Alvarez of Mexico at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view.

During a conference call Monday, Sanchez was asked how cool it is that he and Alvarez’s head trainer – Eddy Reynoso – are currently looked upon as top trainers, instead of say Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr., both of whom have gotten a lot of ink in past years.

Sanchez replied in prideful tones.

“Well, first of all, I’m extremely proud that two Mexicans are guiding the two best fighters in the sport and we are going to be meeting each other for supremacy on the 16th,” said Sanchez, a Mexican-American who grew up in West Covina. “I will be extremely happy that the fans recognize the fact that it’s not only Canelo as a Mexican, but Gennady has a Mexican style, but Eddy and I are both very proud Mexicans.”

Golovkin, of Kazakhstan, is 37-0 with 33 knockouts. Alvarez is 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts.

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Two-division champion Timothy Bradley all class in retirement statement

April 9,2016. Las Vegas NV.  (in Wht/Yell tnks)/Manny Pacquiao  knocks down Timothy Bradley in the 9th round Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden hotel  Manny Pacquiao took the win by unanimous decision for the international  welterweight championship.Photo by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

Timothy Bradley, right, takes a punch to the face from Manny Pacquiao during their April 2016 bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Former two-division world champion Timothy Bradley over the weekend put out a statement regarding his retirement from the ring. His heartfelt words were a reflection of the class with which he graced the sweet science during a 12-year professional career.

“There always comes a point in life where we have to make choices that no matter how much we know the right option, it still leaves us filled with mixed emotions,” he wrote Saturday. “I have spent the past couple days trying to find the right words to describe this point in my life and no matter how long I sit and reflect, I still don’t know if these words can do my thoughts justice. But I’m going to do my best to open up my heart and share with all of you during this pivotal time.”

Bradley wrote about how, yes, along with being a pro athlete comes fame and fortune. But, he said, it also comes with “fear and fatigue, a balance that has to be achieved by ambition and maintained through perspective.”

“Boxing gave me purpose and it defined me,” Bradley wrote. “Dedicated to my craft and fueled by my passion for the sport, my love for my team and my admiration for all of you who supported me day in and day out – I was able to give 100 percent of myself to be the best and to always get up when I was knocked down. It was the biggest challenge in my life, but I embraced the sacrifice with every victory and milestone reached. Boxing gave me roots, it kept me off the streets, it gave me confidence, it taught me how to be a man and face every challenge head on and take the good with the bad.

“Yes I missed holidays, birthdays, even missed hearing some of my children’s first words. But more than time, it took my blood, sweat and tears, all things I can never get back. Which is why turning the page for me is bittersweet. That once in a lifetime purpose to wake up everyday and give 100% is now fueled towards something else- my family. I find my strength in them, my peace and most importantly, unconditional love. I wake up wanting to spend all my time being a father, being a husband and being free.”

Bradley went on, eventually giving a big thanks to those who cheered him on during a career that saw him win titles in the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions.

“And to you, the die hard fans, man, it’s been one heck of a ride,” Bradley wrote. “The bumps, the bruises, the peaks, the valleys, the days I didn’t want to get out of bed and the nights I couldn’t sleep. So many occasions where my heart, mind and soul were tested, but with every challenge there was hope and there was all of you, giving me the courage to fight another day and do what I loved to do.”

Bradley last fought in April 2016, when he lost a wide decision to Manny Pacquiao in their rubber match at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Bradley, who will be 34 on Aug. 29, finished 33-2-1 with 13 knockouts. 

 

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Vasyl Lomachenko, Miguel Marriaga make weight for Saturday’s bout

Vasyl Lomachenko, left, of Ukraine, punches Roman Martinez, of Puerto Rico, during the fourth round of a WBO junior lightweight title boxing match Saturday, June 11, 2016, in New York. Lomachenko stopped Martinez in the fifth round. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Vasyl Lomachenko, left, goes after Rocky Martinez during their super featherweight title fight in June 2016 at Madison Square Garden/Associated Press photo by Frank Franklin II

 

Champion Vasyl Lomachenko and challenger Miguel Marriaga on Friday successfully made weight for their super featherweight title fight Saturday at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles (on ESPN).

Lomachenko weighed in at the 130-pound limit and Marriaga came in at 129.8.

Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs), of Ukraine, will be looking to make the third successful defense of the title he won with a fifth-round knockout of Rocky Martinez in June 2016. Marriaga, of Colombia, is 25-2 with 21 knockouts.

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Closed circuit tickets on sale for Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor

Floyd Mayeather Jr. lands a punch on Robert Guerrero during their May 2013 fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas/Associated Press photo by Isaac Brekken

Those who don’t, or can’t, buy tickets to see the Aug. 26 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor bout in person at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas can purchase tickets to take in the closed-circuit feed at one of many venues around Sin City.

Tickets for the Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur are priced at $150 a piece, not including applicable fees.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster, com or by calling 800-745-3000. Party packages are available at Aria, Bellagio and MGM Grand are available and can be purchased by calling 855-329-2260.

Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) and McGregor – a UFC star – will tangle in a 12-round, junior middleweight boxing match. It will be distributed on Showtime pay-per-view for $89.99, $99.99 for high definition.

 

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Raymundo Beltran focused on green card, and defeating Bryan Vasquez

Ricky Burns v Raymundo Beltran - WBO World Lightweight Championship

Raymundo Beltran is introduced ahead of his fight against lightweight champion Ricky Burns in September 2013. The bout ended in a draw/Photo by Getty Images

 

Raymundo Beltran’s quest to obtain a green card has been ongoing, and has made for a fine story. But he is going to fight Bryan Vasquez on Saturday in the lightweight semi-main event at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, so he has to make sure he concentrates on that as well.

He assured reporters he was doing just that during a conference call Monday.

“He is a very tough opponent,” Beltran, of Mexico, said of Vasquez, of Costa Rica. “I know he is going to fight. We both have different goals. He’s got a big opportunity to fight me and I have a big challenge in front of me.

“My focus is also on the title and also on the green card situation, which is my big motivation to win the fight. He is a good fighter and I want to impress the people and I just can’t wait to get in the ring. But I am very confident by the way it is going in the gym and my mind is 100 percent right now.”

Beltran (33-7-1, 21 KOs) and Vasquez (35-2, 19 KOs) will tangle for a regional title underneath the super featherweight world-title fight between champion Vasyl Lomachenko and Miguel Marriaga (on ESPN).

 

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