Let me get something out of the way before I rip into this fantasy rumor. I would personally love to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor fight….in the street. That’s right. Rocky 5 style!  Get the metal trash cans, dark alley, and bad beer ready because these two millionaires are scrapping. That would be cool and would shred Pay Per View records to pieces. Sylvester Stallone can be the referee. Now, let’s get back to reality.

Stop listening to Floyd, Dana White, McGregor, and any other knucklehead trying to pound click bait pieces on why this fight may, could, should, or might happen. Here’s a hint. It will never happen. This isn’t a movie. It’s real life and two men from different sports don’t step into the same ring. A hockey player doesn’t play in an MLB game, right? Football players don’t step on soccer fields. Yes, these two men compete in different sports.

Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts may both be combat sports, but they are completely different. Boxing is an old school sweet science carved out of a simple idea. Two men get into a ring and punch each other while moving instinctively around the ring insides 12 rounds with a game plan in mind. Bloody faces, bruised cheeks, and torn up hands aside, these are different sports and it’s impossible to find a middle ground.

LEGAL. Remember we are talking about two of the most influential and dynamic faces of the sports. Lawyers, representatives, and suits of all kinds would stand in the way before this could get ironed out. Each man’s ego is the size of Texas so good luck making one of them bend. The financial logistics of this would require a snake charmer and Warren Buffet to get started on much less complete. They aren’t getting any younger either. Mayweather is approaching 40 years old.

RULES. How do you combine the rules of MMA with Boxing? One is fought in octagon with fence construction and made like a cage. Boxing is in a square ring with rope and buckles. See my point with the street fight idea now? In one sport, you can use pretty much any part of your body in 99% means available to destroy your opponent. You can kick, punch, grapple, or put the person in a choke hold. The other sport is two men on their feet throwing punches. Forget it. Also, a boxing match is more than double the length of an MMA fight. Good luck finding a middle ground.

LEGACY. McGregor just came off his first loss against Nate Diaz. Does he want to follow that up by being jabbed to death by a boxer? Ask him before Guinness lagers are pounded over a few hours at his favorite pub. How about Floyd? He is undefeated in boxing and retired for almost a year now. Does he want to come out of retirement and take on the world’s most notorious and deadly MMA fighter? One who talks as much as he does and is the face of his sport? How about it, Floyd? Forget it. These two guys are men with islands inside their brains.

It sounds good but it’s not happening. It’s a fantasy for fight fans to devour and dream up. It’s like Rocky Balboa-the sixth film in the franchise-when a simulated video game matchup sparks a real match. An exhibition match. That happens in movies and is cool. If it happens in real life, it ends in blood. Lots of it. If Conor takes the match and is frustrated for a few rounds, he may just throw a kick because he’s anxious. If he loses, what does that do for his marketability against other MMA fighters? Same for Floyd. This belonged in legacy but it landed here.

Forget what Dana White says about Floyd’s people not calling him? That’s because Floyd dreamed this up to stir up talk about one man. Himself. He’s retired and getting bored. If Floyd returns, it will be to a boxing ring to fight a boxer. Conor is going to fight Diaz again this year. Mark it down. They will never fight each other. It’s a fantasy that will remain in La La Land.

Now, if Canelo Alvarez could stop ducking Gennady Golovkin, that would be great.