Floyd Mayweather: I'm not the same fighter I was two years ago

A five-division world champion, Mayweather (49-0) is coming out of retirement to take on UFC king McGregor who will be making his professional boxing debut.

Mayweather, who is a 1/6 favourite with Sky Bet, concedes he is "slipping a little bit" and has not fought since outpointing Andre Berto back in September 2015.

The 40-year-old insists Ireland's McGregor, a 9/2 chance with Sky Bet, has the edge over him, at least on paper.

"I'm older. I'm not the same fighter I was two years ago. I'm not the same fighter I was five years ago. I lost a step," he told ESPN.

"A fighter like Andre Berto isn't even supposed to go the distance with Floyd Mayweather, but remember, I was 38. It's obvious I'm slipping a little bit to even let a fighter like that go the distance with me. I'm not what I used to be.

"[McGregor] He's a lot younger. When you look at myself and Conor McGregor on paper, he's taller, has a longer reach, he's a bigger man from top to bottom. He's a lot younger, so youth is on his side.

"And I've been off a couple of years. And I'm in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor."

Both fighters to be knocked down and either to win in rounds 11-12 is 33/1

Despite not registering a knockout victory in his stellar career since stopping Victor Ortiz almost six years ago, Mayweather has vowed he will be aggressive against lightweight McGregor, who has lost three times in 24 UFC contests.

"I used to have a 90 percent knockout ratio so it's obvious I slipped somewhere. Something has taken a toll on my career," he said.

"But this can't be a defensive fight. I have to go to him. I owe the public because of the [Manny] Pacquiao fight. They weren't pleased with that. They're gonna be pleased with this fight here."

Related links

Sky Bet's latest odds on Mayweather v McGregor

Big-fight boxing diary