Conor McGregor's aggressive fighting style will cost him dear against Floyd Mayweather, says Tony Bellew

Bellew thinks Mayweather will win the Las Vegas super-fight quite comfortably 

Luke Brown
Wednesday 21 June 2017 16:30 BST
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McGregor is likely to adopt an aggressive style when he fights Mayweather
McGregor is likely to adopt an aggressive style when he fights Mayweather (Getty )

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Tony Bellew has said there is no way Conor McGregor can beat Floyd Mayweather when the two men meet in the boxing ring, claiming that McGregor’s aggressive tactics will ultimately result in his demise.

The Las Vegas showdown between the two men will see Mayweather attempting to extend his flawless professional record to 50-0. MMA star McGregor, in contrast, will be making his professional boxing debut.

And Bellew, who on Wednesday confirmed that he had begun discussions with American fighter Andre Ward about a cruiserweight title showdown, thinks the gulf in class will prove too large for McGregor to bridge.

“I’ve seen talk of McGregor rushing Mayweather and that will be his strategy,” Bellew writes in the Metro.

“Will that bother Mayweather? No. He’s had lethal fighters with heavy hands like Marcos Maidana rush at him.

“Look, I’m a massive McGregor fan. But you’re asking this man to perform and do something some of the best fighters that have ever lived have not been able to do.

“And that’s defeat Mayweather in a boxing ring. In a cage, McGregor would finish him within a minute.”

Bellew is far from the first personality from the world of professional boxing to back Mayweather and he joins the likes of Carl Froch, Ricky Hatton, Lennox Lewis and Oscar De La Hoya in predicting a comfortable win for the undefeated boxer.

The unified WBA, WBC, IBF, and IBO middleweight Gennady Golovkin, who will meet Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez three weeks after Mayweather's fight with McGregor, even suggested this week that ‘true’ fans of the sport would avoid the contest altogether.

“I think people understand what is a true fight, a boxing fight, like mine with Canelo or a big show, maybe sometimes for people a funny show, like a circus show," he said this week.

Golovkin wants boxing fans to steer clear of the fight
Golovkin wants boxing fans to steer clear of the fight (Getty)

But Bellew at least admits that Mayweather v McGregor is likely to deliver in the entertainment stakes.

“People have said to me ‘why is this happening?’ and it’s because of demand,” Bellew added. “It will be fantastic to watch. All these people saying it’s a circus, a joke, they’ll be the first ones to pay the pay-per-view.

Mayweather v McGregor: Tale of the tape

“It could break every record we have for a boxing match. It appeals to everyone. To boxing fans, to MMA fans, to the football fan, to your Grandma.

“That’s why Mayweather is doing this fight. It’s a business transaction for him, it’s not a dangerous fight for him. McGregor has zero experience and Mayweather will run through him.

“But it will be pure entertainment.”

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