Only chance Conor’s got of winning is kicking him
Bellew slams disrespect to sport
TONY BELLEW last night warned Conor McGregor the only way he can beat Floyd Mayweather is by kicking him.
The Irish Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star will make his professional boxing debut against the unbeaten American.
But WBC cruiserweight emeritus champ Bellew has slammed claims an outsider can compete with a boxing legend ahead of this month’s £500million Las Vegas bout.
He said: “So little respect is being shown to boxing by people thinking a man from a different profession can walk into my sport and say, ‘I’m going to beat the best fighter of this generation’. It’s not possible.
“Mayweather is the greatest fighter of his era and there’s no chance a man having his first professional fight is going to defeat him.
“I love Conor McGregor and I am a huge UFC fan – but no UFC fighter is ever going to be able to get into a boxing ring and make it competitive. McGregor’s only chance is if he kicks him. If he doesn’t kick him he’s f ***** .”
Lightweight champion McGregor has propelled himself to the top of the UFC by knocking out seven of his 10 opponents. But Bellew added: “If this was in a cage Mayweather would be tapping so fast you’d think he was tap dancing. “But it’s in a boxing ring and he’s going to hit McGregor so fast, so hard and so many times he’s not going to know where the punches are coming from.”
Bellew is eyeing a return of his own in December but revealed the chances of it being a heavyweight rematch with David Haye are slim.
The Liverpudlian, who sealed an 11th-round stoppage in March, said: “I’m further away than ever with the Haye fight.”
● Bellew is a Betsafe ambassador. Find out more at www.betsafe.com.