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The Last Word On Sport - The Phenomenon Of Conor McGregor

The idea of Conor McGregor's fight with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas this weekend has divided opini...
TodayFM
TodayFM

6:09 PM - 23 Aug 2017



The Last Word On Sport - The P...

Lunchtime

The Last Word On Sport - The Phenomenon Of Conor McGregor

TodayFM
TodayFM

6:09 PM - 23 Aug 2017



The idea of Conor McGregor's fight with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas this weekend has divided opinion. Many believe it's all about money and ego, while others think Irish people should be supporting one of their own.

Sports writer Donald MacRae, who has written a piece for The Guardian about the McGregor phenomenon, admits that he too was cynical about it to start with.

"Coming to Dublin did change my perspective," he says. "I came away quite fascinated and I'll be paying to see the fight."

Donald's visit to Dublin has also changed his views on the possible outcome of the fight - even if only a little bit.

"I know in my heart of hearts that Mayweather is going to win this fight. However, it's that fleeting 1% chance that McGregor has that was planted in my head last week in Dublin."

What does he make of McGregor's remarks about Mayweather?

"A lot of stupid things are said in the build-up to a fight. I don't know Conor personally, so I don't know whether he intended to be racist. Of course it's totally unacceptable, but it's naive also to expect that these guys are going to be civilised. They hardly ever are."

Donald says there's a danger of McGregor believing his own hype.

"It's happened to so many people. So much of it is about building up a persona, and someone like McGregor can start to believe it."

Why does he think the fight is of such international interest?

"Conor is an interesting phenomenon. Here is a guy who was on the dole, was an apprentice plumber up until 2013, and now four years later he's going to make $100 million."

The Last Word On Sport - The Phenomenon Of Conor McGregor

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