Conor McGregor faces 'almost impossible task' against Floyd Mayweather, admits Michael Conlan

Conlan believes the odds are stacked against his friend McGregor but backs him '100 per cent'

Mark Critchley
Sunday 02 July 2017 14:28 EDT
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Conor McGregor accompanied Michael Conlan during the walk-on to his professional debut
Conor McGregor accompanied Michael Conlan during the walk-on to his professional debut (Getty)

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Conor McGregor faces an “impossible task” in attempting to blemish Floyd Mayweather’s unbeaten record, according to his friend and fellow Irish fighter Michael Conlan.

Conlan, who rose to prominence at last summer’s Rio Olympics, secured the third victory of his professional career by defeating Jarrett Owen in Brisbane on Saturday.

His victory came on the undercard of Manny Pacquaio’s shock unanimous decision defeat to Jeff Horn, which saw the Filipino lose his WBO world welterweight title.

If McGregor, who has never boxed professionally, were to beat Mayweather, regarded by many as the best fighter of his generation, it would be an even greater upset, but even Conlan believes the odds are stacked against his compatriot.

“Conor’s Irish and I back Conor 100 per cent,“ Conlan told combat sports website FightHype.com after securing a third-round stoppage over Owen.

“It’s almost an impossible task. It has been an impossible task so far, so you can’t really go out on a limb and say Conor’s going to win 100 per cent.”

Mayweather v McGregor: Tale of the tape

Conlan was accompanied by McGregor during the entrance to his professional boxing debut at Madison Square Gardens in March and has a close relationship with the UFC's reigning lightweight champion.

On whether he would could appear on the super-fight's undercard, which will be arranged by Mayweather's team, Conlan said: “I’ve asked Conor but we’ll see how it goes.”

Conlan also stopped short of offering McGregor any advice and said: “I’m not going to say I’m the man to give any boxing tips against Floyd Mayweather.”

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