The Mega Event Of The Summer

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It's very hard to not talk about what event will take place on August 26, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Would I dare to call the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather The Fight Of The Century?

Absolutely Not!

But I will say this, it will be a huge payday for those involved.

There is no doubt that McGregor and Mayweather will earn hefty paydays for the bout.

The asking price for the right to be the title sponsor for the upcoming Mega Main Event between Mayweather and McGregor has been set at $10 Million.

That eight-figure sum nets the sponsor a logo in the middle of the ring, as well as branding the ring girls, two of the ropes, and the two non-fighter corners of the rings. The sponsor will also be featured in the first minute of every round.

WWE-IMG is also offering $5 Million each for the fighter corners, which entails signage and a presence on the broadcast corner camera.

In total, the $20 Million would be the largest ever for a fight, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.

None of these numbers even include what this fight will cost on pay-per view.

I know I won't pay this astronomical fee because I'll be going on My Honeymoon to Hawaii, and also attending My Niece Brooke's Wedding. So there is a good chance many of us will watch this together somewhere in paradise.

The last time I bought a fight was on June 28, 1997 when Mike Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield's Ear and was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license.

I paid $50 to watch a bizarre piece of history for all the wrong reasons.

But when you look at this fight as a whole, I'm glad that this is taking place.

First of all, all you'll have going on in late August is the MLB Regular Season and the NFL Pre-Season.

The promoters were smart by not setting the contest during the pennant chase for MLB in September. The timing will liven up the summer just before Labor Day. Plus, the NFL Regular Season will be underway.

I can only imagine what the ticket prices will be for this match. Fans better have deep pockets to attend this fight.

UFC President Dana White was smart when he didn't stand in the way and worked with McGregor to get his most valuable fighter a chance to get the biggest payday of his life.

Forget the fact that Mayweather is 49-0 and looking to improve to 50-0 with a win and McGregor would love nothing better to give him his first loss.

Over the next several weeks there will be more opinions about why this fight should or shouldn't have taken place. There will be so many predictions about who will win this fight.

However, I'm going to take a philosophical approach about what to expect in this crossover bout between MMA and Boxing.

McGregor has everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Many experts don't feel he belongs in the same ring with Mayweather, therefore in the eyes of many, nobody expects him to win.

But I believe that anything can happen when two fighters are in the ring.

There have been no shortage of upsets in boxing through the years.

Two that standout include Muhammad Ali defeating George Foreman and Buster Douglas defeating Tyson.

What I'm saying is if McGregor lands one devastating punch that hits Mayweather in the wrong place, Mayweather will drop to 49-1.

I do believe that defensive style and experience of Mayweather will be more than enough to defeat McGregor and he'll be 50-0.

But what if McGregor wins?

Will this open up the floodgates for more of these crossover matches to take place?

I would definitely say yes, and these promoters will work with White to create more bouts.

Where there is cash, there is opportunity and there will be no shortage of sponsors and television opportunities. After all, it's all about Entertainment!

Will McGregor take the Rocky Underdog approach and feel that he was competitive by going the distance with Mayweather, thus earning him a moral victory?

Definitely!!


So for all of those critics that are opposed to this fight, my advice to them is ride a mule in the Kentucky Derby because they're a bunch of clowns.

Mayweather has been a great champion in Boxing because he doesn't dodge opponents and will fight anyone.

All the money he's made is well deserved and he's an outstanding business man!

He's a future Hall of Fame Inductee.

When I was growing up, there were boxing matches all the time in all divisions.

Who can forget Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas

Hearns and many others?

Nowadays, fans can't identify Boxers anymore.

Chuck Liddell, who I'm with in the photo put MMA on the map, and now the sport is thriving thanks to the work of Dana White and it's gaining more and more respect by the minute.

So when I look at the Mayweather vs McGregor fight in perspective, whether Conor gets tattooed by Mayweather or Conor pulls off a major upset, I still will refuse to call this Event The Fight Of The Century,

It's definitely going to be one Huge Mega Event that is worth watching and talking about for years to come.

Entertainment is what this is all about!

This fight came together because the public wanted it and everybody worked together to make it happen.

So Let's Enjoy The Mega Event Of The Summer.

If by chance Mayweather were to lose this fight, can you imagine what a rematch would be worth?

So we'll just let our imaginations run wild about what the sequel would be like as many folks in the Boxing Industry experienced during the sport's heyday for many years.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

December 29 Great Memories

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I celebrate my 47 birthday, what makes December 29 so unique?

I've never failed a test or exam in any school because there were no classes to attend.

It's the last of 107 or 108 days in the 20's of every month depending on if it's a leap year.

There are 72 hours left in the year and there were 8,688 hours that have past to get to this date. In a leap year that number would increase to 8,712 hours.

As the temperature this year in Deerfield Beach, FL., hit 66 degrees and my Aunt Judy Strohl told me today that I was missing snow and 22 degree weather back in Michigan, I'll never forget my 16 birthday when I had to take a drivers test during a blizzard in 1978. Thanks to an assist from my late Grandmother Sophie Morganroth Jacobs, who drove my father's old Yellow Cadillac, I managed to pass the drivers test by using her vehicle despite the bad weather as I had an understanding nice looking dark blonde woman instructor who was very patient despite the slippery roads.

To date, I've driven 2.75 million miles in 31 years and taken several cross country trips despite the fact that I've never been a paid truck driver. There are too many restrictions in flying and I could make my own schedule and see more places.

What I've always enjoyed about this birthday is I haven't worked on it in 47 years and the streak remains intact. I have found that employers are just as relieved that the year is over and they seem to be enjoying the holiday season. The only way that I would put an end to this 47-year streak is if I became a Professional Public Speaker or had a Broadcasting/ Full Time Newspaper career. I have no problem going to work when it doesn't feel like I'm working but I'm having a lot fun writing my two Blogs today. The first was my Tribute to Ernie Harwell earlier this morning.

In this Blog, I'm going to list the top 10 Moments of "December 29" over the years.

1. While taking a 10,000 mile plus trip that lasted 35 days in a rental car across country, I stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah and not only did I have a chance to understand the Mormon Culture, visited Temple Square, and covered a couple Utah Jazz NBA Basketball Games, one of the local radio stations invited me to come back and left a ticket at will call at the Salt Palace to watch a minor league hockey game the day of my birthday to have me on as a guest during periods. They wanted me to talk about the route of my trip, how many games I was going to see in the different sports plus other tourist attractions, in how many days and how many states I was going to be in. Ironically, that hockey team would be sold to late Detroit Pistons Owner William Davidson which played at the Palace of Auburn Hills and became the Detroit Vipers.

2. On another Western Trip, I had a grilled cheese sandwich and hash browns with a trucker whose CB handle was "The Sting" at 4 am at a truck stop in New Mexico. We were talking for hours about the icy roads, where the cops were hanging out to give tickets, etc. Sand was the only way the tires on my Burgundy Buick Regal could grip the roads so I would have traction to avoid an accident. I relied heavily on my CB to communicate with truckers and my handle was "Scoop." But "The Sting" and I hung out for a couple hours to talk and as I grabbed his bill, he insisted on paying our checks insisting that it was my birthday present and thanked me for having a nice experience. I never had a cell phone on that trip, just a pre-paid phone card to use in pay phones & hotels to stay in order to stay in contact with family members and friends.

3. I had a chance to watch a Harlem Globetrotters Game at the Old Olympia Stadium in Detroit with my family featuring Meadowlark Lemon and Curley Neal.

4. I had lunch with one of my best friends Chip Namais when he worked with the Tampa Bay Bucs. I've known Chip since 1982 when he was the Director of Public Relations for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the defunct North American Soccer League. That night, another close friend Gus Pantelides, whom I've known for 31 years took me out for ribs at a restaurant at New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner's Hotel the Bay Harbor Inn in Tampa and bought me a Tampa Bay Lightning hooded sweat shirt.

5. When I was in Cancun, Mexico one year, I attended the bull fights during the day then I went to Pat O' Brien's at night where the manager bought me two of his famous Hurricane Drinks after I showed him the proper identification. I was real relaxed and enjoyed socializing with the crowd.

6. On my 30 birthday in 1992, I took the most beautiful drive of my life on California's Pacific Coast Highway 1 after watching the Detroit Lions lose to the San Francisco 49'ers the night before at Candlestick Park. I remember talking with former Lions QB Andre Ware on December 28, and not only did we have a good football discussion but I did mention the drive I was about to take for my birthday. He smiled, gave me birthday greetings and gave me a big hug and told me to be careful. The 16 hour drive from San Francisco to San Diego with all the mountains and water plus listening to great music was awesome. I can just imagine how much better the music would be today with satellite radio.

7. Birthday No. 40 saw me watch the Lions lose to the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field and after the game, I drove out to Eastern Tennessee., where I would hang out with a friend and we took six laps around the famed High Banked Bristol Motor Speedway. The $10 I spent for those laps was cheap and went to charity plus I had a huge adrenaline rush afterwards.

8. My ex wife Susan and I spent a great non sports day visiting the famous Casa Grande Ruins in Arizona in 2000.

9. While I can't count how many birthdays that I actually spent with my Grandmother Sophie, she was alive for 37 of them. To this day, she remains the most important person that has ever been in my life and will always be No.1. She is pictured with me at www.scottsports33.com.

10. Last but not least, No. 46 was spent with my best friend George Eichorn & Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ernie Harwell on Decemeber 29, 2008 at Ernie's residence in Novi, MI. We spent a couple hours together and it was truly special. Now that time becomes more magnified because Harwell was diagnosed with incurable Cancer of the Bile Duct. I also had the opportunity to visit many close friends in Detroit, received an abundance of phone calls and text messages. To cap things off, I enjoyed dinner at Apple Bees with My Aunt Judy Strohl and Uncle Bob Strohl.

The only thing I can say about this birthday is I'm glad that I made it to No. 47 since this was a brutal year which started out on a positive note as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. This was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever.

But major back surgery with a grueling recovery process in a tough economy made me feel like I was glad to make it to the finish line of a major marathon.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com

Sports Opinions To Think About....

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH



1) It would be amazing if Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky would have played during the "Original Six" era facing his idol Gordie Howe on a regular basis. Would Gretzky have scored a record 894 goals in 20 seasons? I doubt it because these teams faced each other so much therefore there was no need to watch film or video. In many cases, these teams played back-to-back games on successive nights. I believe Gretzky would have lit the lamp 600 times. Like so many legends during Howe's era, Gretzky would have been a part of the "Gordie Howe Hat-trick" (goal, assist, and fight). He would have been the recipient of Howe's elbows like I was in this photo taken at the Pontiac Silverdome with Howe and Detroit Lions legendary broadcaster the late Bob Reynolds at www.scottsports33.com



2) Speaking of longevity, NASCAR's Mark Martin appeared in his 1000th National Touring Event Saturday August 22nd at Bristol Motor Speedway. Even though Martin hasn't won a championship or Daytona 500, the Arkansas native has won the respect of his peers and compassion of his fans. He did win the pole for this year's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and finished second at the famed race track.



3) It would be amazing if the Charlotte Bobcats and Houston Texans reached the playoffs. These are the only two teams in the four major sports that haven't participated in the postseason. During the past two seasons, the Texans have finished 8-8 under Coach Gary Kubiak while Bobcats boss Larry Brown had Charlotte in the playoff hunt during the 2008-09 season.



4) The only way we'll ever see a Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson fight is in video games. I can only imagine how much the pay per view cost would be if Ali would have battled Tyson in his prime. If the fights would have been as great as the three Joe Frazier/ Ali contests, ESPN Classic would have plenty to show. I do believe that Ali would have outclassed and outsmarted Tyson as he did when he won the heavyweight title from a brawler named George Foreman in an eighth round knockout on Oct 30, 1974 during what was known as "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire. Ali used his famous "Rope A Dope" to wear out Foreman and would have duplicated that strategy against Tyson.



5) Now that I'm in the video game twilight zone about match ups we wish we could have seen, lets add another one and that's Foreman versus Mike Tyson. When Foreman entered the Ali fight, he was 40-0. When Tyson lost to 42 to 1 underdog Buster Douglas, on February 11, 1990, he was 37-0. I believe that the 6-3 1/2 Foreman would have destroyed Tyson, who was 5-11 1/2 because of his four inch height advantage and relentless power. Foreman knocked out past heavyweight champions Frazier and Ken Norton in two rounds. I don't think Tyson would have lasted four rounds against Foreman.


6) Ozzie Guillen managing against the late Billy Martin would have been fun to watch. I've always thought of Guillen as the Latin version of Martin because if a pitcher threw at either of these managers players, they'd have been ordered to retaliate. Martin was never afraid to get in his own players face. Just ask Reggie Jackson when they were both with the New York Yankees. Guillen barks at his players when they make mistakes plus he's colorful with the media. Martin and Guillen won championships with the Yankees and White Sox as managers. The closest we have to a Martin versus Guillen is Ozzie facing Lou Piniella's Cubs. Piniella played for Martin with the Yankees and learned how to manage from Billy. Piniella's antics to get ejected are similar to Martin's and Lou did manage the Cincinnati Reds to a championship.


7) Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton should ease off the criticism of his old team and accept the fact that Brett Favre has a chance to do something he wasn't able to do and that's win a Super Bowl in the Twin Cities. Tarkenton couldn't win the big game with talented running back Chuck Foreman and the "Purple People Eaters" defense. But if Favre makes the most of rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin and star running back Adrian Peterson, it could be a great ride in the State of 10,000 Lakes. If Favre still has the passion to play, then more power to him. The Vikings and the NFL will gain more revenue in jersey sales and Favre will put people in the seats during a slow economy. Favre's consecutive games and total yards records will be tougher to break. I wish him well.


8) The NCAA's decision to have teams shake each others hands before games makes me realize that this organization is made up of a bunch of clowns. We all know by now that they can't even determine their national championship on the field with the lack of a playoff system or the worst case scenario by adding another game and creating their own version of a final four. With all the rivalries in college football, can you imagine Michigan/ Ohio State, Florida/Florida State, Texas/Oklahoma, and Notre Dame/ USC. I can't see new Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin embracing the Gators before a game that the Gators would want to win 100-0 since Kiffin has done a tremendous job angering Gator Nation by accusing them of recruiting violations, when in retrospect, it was Kiffin who didn't know the rules. I have no problem with sportsmanship! But this is unrealistic.


9) Seattle Mariners Skipper Don Wakamatsu should get strong consideration for Manager of the Year. Last season, Seattle finished with a 61-101 record and finished the year 39 games behind AL West winner the LA Angels. By the time of this post, Seattle is 68-62 and nine games back behind the Angels. The return of Ken Griffey Jr. was a great move at the gate to bring home the greatest player in franchise history. To date, Griffey Jr. has 14 homers and 625 in his career.


10) How much stature does the No. 9 have in Detroit? Consider the fact that Gordie Howe wore it with the Red Wings and it's retired at Joe Louis Arena. Now Detroit Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford is wearing it. This is pressure!


Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his web-site is www.scottsports33.com