For sports fans, heated debates are had over who is the “best of all time” — Michael Jordan or LeBron? Manning or Brady? Ali or Tyson?
In the case of Mayweather vs. McGregor, fans got to see these two sporting giants fight to settle the discussion, with boxing veteran Floyd Mayweather taking home the victory of Conor McGregor.
Saturday night, Sewell Hall held a watch party for the fight open for all Lipscomb students to view the historic event. Sewell Hall Residential Assistant Taylor Phillips planned the event and was excited to host a watch party for such an anticipated night.
“We decided at the start of the year that our first event of the year should be the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather fight,” Phillips said. “This fight means a lot because I am a huge UFC and boxing fan. Boxing is such a well-known sport; everyone can jump aboard and enjoy the fight.”
Sporting a Conor McGregor shirt, Phillips said that he was rooting for McGregor to win the fight. Philips noted that Sewell Hall typically doesn’t hold events, but the fight was a good opportunity for the residence hall to host something for all students at the beginning of the year.
First year Head Resident and former Lipscomb student Jackson Smith looked at the event as a chance to bring people closer together.
“I love creating opportunities for memories, and that’s exactly what this is,” Smith said. The former Lipscomb student was in favor of Mayweather, learning his lesson from when he rooted for Manny Pacquiao back in 2015. Smith said he was happy with the turnout and affirmed that there will be more great events to come at Sewell.
During the prelims, the question “who ya got?” could be heard throughout the audience. A survey was taken to see who the crowd was more in favor — results showed 186 for Mayweather and 94 for McGregor.
The Prelims also had some excitement, specifically from Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca. Davis owned the fight, winning by knockout. He also won in controversy, with the knockout punch from Davis landing on the back of Fonseca’s head.
In the beginning of the main event, McGregor was doing well, connecting most of his punches and forcing Mayweather against the ropes. Mayweather wasn’t controlling the pace of the match, which seemed strange considering that is typically the norm for him.
By the sixth round, Mayweather looked like his usual self, connecting with counter punches and causing McGregor to miss. By the tenth round, McGregor, who was not used to the length of a boxing matched, appeared fatigued, and Mayweather capitalized and won the fight by TKO.