Floyd Mayweather Surprisingly Bests Conor McGregor in First Press Conference

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

If the outcome of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor megafight is as surprising as the outcome of the first press conference, it might be time to put every dollar you have down on McGregor.

The reason?

Mayweather cleaned up at the first major event that brought the two combat sports icons together, and no one in their right mind saw that coming.

Kicking off a series of four events set to take place this week in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and London, Mayweather stalked the Staples Center stage and spit venom at his future foe.

He talked of money and fame. He talked of greatness. He talked of his motivation despite his advanced age.

He paced and shadowboxed, clad in TMT attire and hellbent on reminding people that he's among the best to ever perform in a boxing ring and among the best to ever turn himself into a one-man business—in the combat sports space or elsewhere.

In the crowning moment of the presser for either man, Mayweather lit into McGregor for his earning power, a point of pride for the Irishman in the comparatively small pond of MMA. Mayweather mocked the UFC lightweight champion for taking home a mere $3 million in his last appearance.

Never modest, Mayweather reiterated his worth as a "nine-figure" athlete before moving on.

It was all in stark contrast to his persona in the latter stages of his career, one that has been less focused on promotion by mouthing off and more about flaunting his wealth and letting his name and brand do the selling.

Throughout it all, McGregor was more or less lost.

He started out by hitting his production mark too early, left to wave from a still shadowy stage and then dance awkwardly to both his own music and Mayweather's while he waited for others to join him.

He gave a clumsy, oddly underprepared speech that rambled circularly and didn't hit home at any point, be it when he attempted jabs at Mayweather, spoke of his newly minted McGregor Sports and Entertainment banner or acknowledged his infant son watching from home.

He snapped at Mayweather a few times as Mayweather delivered verbal blow after verbal blow from the pulpit, but it was largely for naught. His microphone even cut out at one point for good measure, a piece of symbolism that was surely too on-the-nose for anyone supporting him.

By the final faceoff, there was plenty of jaw-jacking going on as a throng of photographers, videographers and hangers-on crowded around. Dana White took his familiar spot between the athletes to ensure nothing happened—a dubious choice, given his track record of failing to prevent McGregor from causing press conference chaos in the past—but it felt like the battle was long over by then.

And it was all Mayweather.

Nobody rightfully expected that.

It leaves one to suspect that, for all the elements of this sporting carnival that may appear predictable leading up to their August 26 performance, perhaps there are some tricks still left to be seen.

The next leg takes place Wednesday, July 12, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Expect McGregor to be sharper and wittier now that he's had a taste of what to expect from a boxing presser. Knowing he lost Tuesday's war of words may fuel him to dig into Mayweather with more aplomb. 

Let the hype train roll onward.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewjryder.