While not a done deal, the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. superfight appears past the point of no return. And for McGregor’s camp, that means one thing: It’s time to prepare for the biggest fight of the UFC star’s life.
At the center of that preparation is McGregor’s longtime head coach, John Kavanagh, who is tasked with getting “The Notorious” ready to challenge one of the greatest boxers ever at his own game. That’s a tall order, but Kavanagh has a plan — albeit an unconventional one.
“I will say this: Mayweather has proven himself to be perfect against guys who have trained purely in boxing,” Kavanagh told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview. “I was asked very early on, ‘Are you going to bring in Freddie Roach? He’s the greatest boxing trainer in the world right now.’
“… Has Freddie trained somebody to fight Mayweather before? Yes. … And the plan didn’t work. I don’t see a point in doing the exact same thing.”
In short: Kavanagh doesn’t plan on fighting fire with fire. Instead, he wants McGregor to hone the best striking tactics of his MMA game. Much of that strategy still applies to boxing, and also might present Mayweather with an approach he hasn’t seen before.
“We’re not going to spend 10 to 12 years doing something one way and then, because it’s a boxing fight, change everything for three months and beat the best defensive boxer of all time,” Kavanagh said. “No. We’ve got to come at this with an MMA striking strategy.
“Of course, hands only, but maybe there are things we can do from an MMA perspective, which, if people study boxing from the early 20th century, those things were a bigger part in the boxing game than they are today. We’re bringing an old-school boxing approach.”
As for when the superfight will go down, Kavanagh referenced UFC president Dana White’s potential September date but said he’s leaving that up to Mayweather. In the meantime, the Irish UFC star and his coach will be hard at work in the boxing ring.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
