Floyd Mayweather took Conor McGregor to school in masterclass of 'textbook boxing' says Lennox Lewis

Many had predicted McGregor would barely last a round with one of the greatest fighters of all-time, so he earned plenty of credit staying the course but Lewis was less impressed

Floyd Mayweather put on a show to defeat a brave Conor McGregor (Getty)

Conor McGregor was "brought to school" by Floyd Mayweather and needs to "stay in his lane", according to former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

UFC star McGregor lasted 10 rounds with Mayweather in his maiden professional boxing match in Las Vegas, as his opponent stopped him to retire with a perfect 50-0 record.

Many had predicted McGregor would barely last a round with one of the greatest fighters of all-time, so he has earned some credit to have stayed the course for as long as he did.

However, the statistics and scorecards back up what was consistently predicted - that he would not have the durability to go toe-to-toe with a master of his craft for 12 rounds.

And, despite his immediate online reaction being to say "I like him even more now", Lewis said that McGregor should know his place.

"In the beginning, I didn't look at Conor McGregor as a boxer, this guy has never been 12 rounds and he's in there with a professor of boxing," the Briton told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Floyd took him to school, he made him punch himself out and when he was tired he took him out. It's textbook boxing.

"It shows that boxing is a superior sport. In the ring, you can't beat a boxer, it's not as easy as everybody thought it would be, just because McGregor is a fighter. This is fighting where you can only use your hands."


 Mayweather grew into the fight and utterly outclassed McGregor 
 (Getty)

Despite Lewis' criticisms, the money the fight attracted means another boxing outing for McGregor seems inevitable, possibly against Paulie Malignaggi who has denied claims he was put down by the Irishman in sparring.

Lewis, though, hopes McGregor's ring appearance will never be repeated.

"I didn't see the point of the whole thing," he added. "A lot of people found it exciting, could Conor McGregor beat Floyd? It wasn't the case. It was a case of a textbook style brought to school, Conor McGregor got brought to school. He got schooled."

Asked if he had a message for McGregor, Lewis said: "Stay in your lane. Boxing is superior."