Advertisement

Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor: Lennox Lewis slams much-awaited super-fight as 'ridiculous'

Lewis, who fought for Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, joins a growing list of boxing purists who have come out against the much-discussed fight which will take place August 26.

Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor: Lennox Lewis slams much-awaited super-fight as 'ridiculous'

California: Boxing hall of famer Lennox Lewis won`t be spending his money on the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight, saying he "can`t take it serious" because the outcome is too predictable.

The former undisputed world heavyweight champion said the combination of Mayweather`s boxing experience and hand speed will be too much to handle for McGregor, who has made him name as a mixed martial arts fighter.

"It`s ridiculous to me," Lewis told US sports broadcaster ESPN. "You are talking about one discipline where you can use only your hands and only a few can do it.

"Every battle sport always starts with your hands, but they are two totally different sports."

The fight is being held in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and promoters are hoping to make millions off the pay-per-view sales. Scheduled as a 12-round boxing match with 10 ounce gloves, three-time world heavyweight champion Lewis says it won`t go the distance.

"I can`t take it serious," Lewis said. "Mayweather is the best in his weight class, no one can touch him in boxing.

"Floyd will stop him. He`s just too good at boxing for McGregor and McGregor is just too inexperienced.

"I wouldn`t buy it -- but I would be interested in the result. To me, I know who is going to win already so there`s no use in watching it."

Lewis, who fought for Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, joins a growing list of boxing purists who have come out against the much-discussed fight which will take place August 26.

The 40-year-old Mayweather has been retired since beating Andre Berto in September 2015 and improving his career record to 49-0.

The matchup with McGregor gives Mayweather a chance to reach the 50-0 career milestone.

Former champ Oscar De La Hoya and promoter Kathy Duva have also slammed the event as an exhibition spectacle, pointing to the fact that the 28-year-old McGregor has never had a professional boxing match and only dabbled in the sport as a teenager.

But unlike those two, Lewis doesn`t feel the novelty matchup will hurt boxing`s image.

"I don`t believe it would damage boxing .... I love Bruce Lee and the other disciplines and when he fought against other fighters, you wanted to see the differences, so I can see the appeal," Lewis said.

Mayweather-McGregor have yet to get together face-to-face since the announcement but they are expected to announce a promotional tour that will take them to a couple of major US cities.