Gerry Cooney said he was caught off guard by the idea that race was part of the equation in his 1982 heavyweight title fight against La…
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor will face off in Las Vegas at approximately 8: 55 p.m. Pacific time Saturday. We will have continual coverage leading up to the match and live round-by-round coverage of the fight itself.
The best from Times boxing writer Lance Pugmire and columnists Dylan Hernandez and Bill Plaschke:
Gerry Cooney said he was caught off guard by the idea that race was part of the equation in his 1982 heavyweight title fight against Larry Holmes. And now he finds it’s unfortunate that there’s still a “Great White Hope” element to UFC champion Conor McGregor’s fight Saturday night against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“To the small little percentage of people who talk about [the fight] for a day, yes, ” race is part of the fight, Conney told The Times.
“After that, it’s gone. I hated all that stuff with Holmes, but when we got in the center of the ring and [referee] Mills Lane gave me instructions, we said, ‘Let’s have a good fight.’ That’s what it’s about. That’s sportsmanship.”
One-hundred and seven years ago, Jack Johnson defeated James J. Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match that spawned the term “Great White Hope” in reference to Jeffries, who lost.
Race surfaced between the fighters during the Mayweather-McGregor press tour, when McGregor told Mayweather, “Dance for me, boy, ” on one stop, then called him a monkey, according to Mayweather.
The fighters mostly avoided that kind of talk this week, but in a Fox News interview on his media day, Mayweather spoke as if he’ ll remember the slur during the bout.
“Ten seconds before the fight, I want him to call me ‘monkey, ‘” Mayweather said. “When I drop him, I’ m going to say, ‘Get up, monkey.’ ”
Cooney felt some backlash from fans after he lost to Holmes by 13th-round technical knockout. He said McGregor could face the same if he doesn’ t fare well – as expected – against the 49-0 Mayweather, whose villainous persona has helped make him the top pay-per-view fighter in history.
“That could be, ” Cooney said. “ [McGregor’s] such a promoter, such a vibrant guy, such a great athlete, but there can be that [backlash] because he can be embarrassed in there fighting a guy like Floyd Mayweather. [Support from McGregor’s newer fans] could be very short-lived and it could very embarrassing. And Maywerather’s used to doing that.
“Floyd Mayweather’s going to do what he does: cover up on the ropes, shoulder roll, counter-punch, counter-punch… you remember seeing Marcos Maidana-Floyd Mayweather? Great fight for Maidana, for six, seven rounds … once he got tired, it was all over for him. That’s what I see for McGregor in some aspects, unless all of a sudden, at 40, Mayweather got old. I don’ t think he did, because he’s in shape all the time.
“It’s a great promotion. A lot of people are talking bad about it. It did have nastiness and ugliness, but everyone always wants to know who’s tougher. What I want to see is how the corners break it down, how does Mayweather adjust, does Mayweather do the same old stuff, or is he going to be more aggressive?”
