Mayweather- McGregor: Strengths, weaknesses and fight predictions

Just a few short months ago you would have got long odds on five-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather even coming out of retirement, let alone putting the gloves back on to face a UFC star.

But on Saturday night Mayweather will take on Ireland's Conor McGregor in a cross-code battle that is set to smash all previous pay-per-view figures and gross an eye-watering $60m plus in ticket sales at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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This 12-round light-welterweight contest may not be one for the purist of either sport, but there is no denying it is going to be a sporting event remembered for a long time to come.

Here sportinglife.com boxing writer Simon Crawford and Sky Bet's UFC expert Adam Matues give their opinions on the two fighters and, most importantly, who they think will win this fascinating contest.

Mayweather build-up

A chaotic, whistle-stop press tour took in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and finally London. There were the usual face-offs, posturing and attempts at one-upmanship to please the packed crowds who were very much pro-McGregor.

There was essentially little you could take from them other than the fact that Mayweather met his match in terms of brashness and trash-talking.

I doubt McGregor's apparent confidence will have worried Mayweather too much, but the fact that he wasn't the star attraction and not allowed to have his own way may bring some extra spite out of him once the first bell goes.

Training camp appeared to be going smoothly until reports emerged that Mayweather had been knocked out in sparring by old foe Zab Judah.

The claims were quickly dismissed, especially as the very same rumours had surfaced prior to his fight with Manny Pacquiao a couple of years ago. Yet in some ways you wouldn't be totally surprised if there was some truth in it. Mayweather is now 40 and although naturally fit, age is bound to catch up with him at some point.

Apart from Judah, Mayweather has also been working with Errol Spence Jr who recently dethroned Sheffield's Kell Brook as IBF world welterweight champion.

Judah is physically strong and Spence is a tall, rangy southpaw which makes total sense, but it will be interesting to know how - and if - the Mayweather camp have managed to replicate McGregor's ability to throw punches from unorthodox angles.

McGregor build-up

McGregor was completely unprepared for the format of the first press conference, giving it was so different to the Q&A style he is accustomed to in the UFC. However, despite starting the world tour on the back foot, with the crowd behind him McGregor was soon able to showcase the full spectrum of his quick wit and outlandish personality.

It is doubtful that Mayweather would have been in anyway phased that, for once, he was not the star of the show but we did once agan see his trash-talking, mind-game-playing character which has been largely absent in the twilight years of his career.

REQUESTABET: McGREGOR TO BE KNOCKED DOWN AND WIN - 12/1!

After the press tour, came the now exhausted saga of Paulie Malignaggi. In what was initially a huge opportunity for McGregor to gain vital sparring experience with a former two-weight world champion, it turned into an ugly, unwanted distraction.

After leaked images of McGregor standing over a floored Malignaggi were leaked to the public, Malignaggi left the UFC star’s camp and since then has been on a vocal crusade of hype-mongering in an attempt to land the biggest payday of his career by being McGregor’s next opponent.

Mayweather strengths

The obvious, overwhelming factor in Mayweather's favour is this will be his 50th fight as a professional, whereas this will be McGregor's boxing debut and he faces 12 three-minute rounds compared to five lasting five minutes as is the case in the UFC championship fights. 'Money' is a master of defence who has developed an effective shoulder roll to block punches and while he may have lost some power, he still throws shots with plenty of venom and accuracy.

He unerringly manages to fight at exactly the pace he feels comfortable with and down the years has mastered every style which has been thrown at him, even if it means adopting spoiling tactics and going the distance. Even though he is the older man, he knows how to prepare for 12 rounds and stamina could well be a key issue. A record of 49-0 speaks for itself and he is rightly regarded as one of the best boxers the sport has ever seen.

McGregor strengths

It is no longer a secret that McGregor’s left hand is a dangerous weapon. It became unquestionable when he knocked down Nate Diaz on multiple occasions despite the Stockton native likely being 185lb+ by the time the bell rang. Although 8oz rather than 4oz, the bigger boxing gloves will disperse some of the impact but he still possesses more than enough power to put Mayweather down.

Another potential strength is something everyone else is considering as his biggest weakness and that is the fact he is not a boxer. The fact he isn’t a traditional boxer means he moves and punches in a unique way and as the younger, bigger and more powerful fighter, this gives him a chance. It is a very slight chance and one that must be taken early on before Mayweather has time figure out McGregor's approach.

Mayweather weaknesses

Mayweather is a natural athlete but not even he can stop age catching him with him at some point and at 40 he is facing an opponent 11 years younger. He is also physically the smaller man and he will have to cope with potentially being out-muscled when they get in close. There is also the obvious danger of ring rust having not fought since outpointing Andre Berto 23 months ago.

There must also be questions about Mayweather's motivation. Of course he stands to make a small fortune out of it, but this is not the biggest fight in his stellar career which has seen his win 15 world titles and it's one that he should win with ease.

Does this mean we may see some complacency? is he taking McGregor lightly? Has he cut corners in training camp? If he is not 100 per cent in shape - both physically and mentally - then he could be in for a tough night.

REQUESTABET: MAYWEATHER TO BE KNOCKED DOWN IN ROUND 1 BUT WIN THE FIGHT - 40/1!

McGregor weaknesses

McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh has said the team have devised a ‘solid game plan that is an approach that has never been taken to Mayweather before’. If that game plan is as unsuccessful as the previous 49 that Mayweather has dismantled then after a few rounds of missed shots, wasted energy and growing frustration we may see McGregor’s previous cardio issues resurface.

You can expect Mayweather to try and slow down the aggressive McGregor in the earlier rounds to try and push the fight into the middle rounds, exhausting McGregor’s limited energy resources, before taking control over a tiring McGregor.

Mayweather will win if ...

First of all he must weather the expected early storm from McGregor, who I expect to come out all guns blazing. Mayweather will use his intelligent footwork to keep southpaw McGregor off balance or make him miss. There is every chance the UFC man will simply blow himself out as he looks for that one magic punch and then Mayweather will be able to take over, using his jab and fast combinations.

The longer the fight lasts, the more it will favour the boxer and although he has not registered a stoppage win since 2011, he could well force the referee to step in as McGregor completely runs out of steam.

McGregor will win if …

McGregor has promised to advance from the first bell without taking a backward step and if he can use his awkward style during the first few rounds to breach Mayweather’s defensive dexterity and land that famous left hand, then he can get a knock down.

It would, however, have to be as premium a blow as the one he delivered to Jose Aldo as unlike in MMA where McGregor can jump on top of a knocked down opponent, Mayweather would get a 10 second count to recover.

Mayweather will lose if ...

The only way I can possibly see him losing is if he gets caught by a big punch or disqualified for breaking the rules. McGregor simply has not got the tools or skill to outbox him for 12 rounds and take a points win. So he is going to have to come out firing and take risks.

But Mayweather has rarely been hurt in fights, let alone been put down even though McGregor's power can't be taken lightly. The UFC man will not fight like any boxer Mayweather has faced, he will throw punches from all angles and could take his opponent by surprise.

Plus, I've already mentioned Mayweather turning 40 and if his reactions have slowed or his punch resistance has dipped even just a fraction, then McGregor might just get that one chance to nail him and pull off one of the biggest shocks in sporting history.

McGregor will lose if …

It will take Floyd Mayweather only a few rounds to adjust to McGregor’s unusual patterns and if McGregor hasn’t finished it by then, he will have given Mayweather enough time to adjust and find himself being dominated every round.

Crawford prediction

Having beaten the likes of Pacquiao, Saul Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya and Britain's own Ricky Hatton in a 49-0 perfect career, I just don't see how Mayweather can lose to a man making his boxing debut.

Yes McGregor knows how to box and packs a punch, but despite some similarities we must not forget that these are two very different sports and I think that will show on the night. Mayweather's biggest strength is his watertight defence which should negate McGregor's biggest advantage which is his punching power.

Mayweather is elusive to say the least and I think he will allow the UFC man to blow himself out in the early rounds before taking over. Mayweather's mindset will determine the outcome - will he want to get him out of there as fast as he can, or will he want to toy with and make an example of McGregor.

I do think referee Robert Byrd will be very vigilant and will not allow the fight to become too one-sided so I'm going for a Mayweather stoppage just past halfway and Mayweather to win in rounds 7-12 is 5/2 with Sky Bet.

Matues prediction

McGregor is now far too short in the outright result market, especially when that was around the same price as the world’s only ever eight-division world boxing champion; Manny Pacquiao was when he fought Mayweather back in 2015.

McGregor will come out fast and aggressive and if we want to believe in McGregor’s premonition that he can cause the biggest upset in sporting history whilst in the process, destroying Mayweather’s legacy, the bet from the heart of this MMA fan is McGregor to win in rounds 1-4 at 6/1.

Punch for punch, McGregor is the harder hitter but if he doesn’t land the big punch early on, then my head says he has lost his small window of opportunity and Mayweather will cruise through the middle rounds whilst frustrating and draining his opponent. McGregor has been conditioned through the brutality of MMA to take heavy punishment and therefore do not believe he will lose by knockout but rather that the ref will end it after a barrage of unanswered punches in rounds 5-8, available at Sky Bet at 3/1.

Related MayMac links

Mayweather v McGregor: Fight week schedule

Mayweather v McGregor: Simon Crawford's betting tips

Mayweather v McGregor: The latest odds

Mayweather v McGregor: TV details & start time

Ricky Hatton: The big interview