Conor McGregor reveals why he doesn't want to knock Floyd Mayweather out

Conor McGregor has sensationally claimed that there is a part of him that doesn’t want to knock out Floyd Mayweather on August 26 – because he would rather shock the boxing world by out-pointing the undefeated American instead.

The differences between the two men are stark. Mayweather is regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time and has never been beaten in his storied 21-year career, while McGregor has never boxed professionally.

Pundits and fans seem united in the belief that McGregor’s only chance of winning is by way of knockout early into the fight, but the confident Irishman has said he is more interested in winning on points in a result that would send shockwaves around the world.

“Now the gloves are 8oz, I don’t believe he makes it out of the second round,” McGregor said in a conference call on Wednesday.

“(But) part of me is hoping that maybe he can last… part of me wants to show some skill and to dismantle him. We are ready for absolutely every scenario. I am ready to go to war for the full 12 rounds and I'm ready to put him away in the first 10 seconds.”

McGregor also again dismissed any notion that there is a racial element to next weekend's fight; the August 26 promotional tour had concluded with Mayweather accusing him of racism on stage at Wembley Arena.

“This is athlete versus athlete,” he said. “I was upset that Floyd tried to bring that in, he and his people truly know that it's not from me.

“I'm not saying that there aren't people on both sides that have this mindset where it's black versus white, but it's certainly something I do not condone. This is athlete versus athlete, two prime physical condition athletes taking part in an amazing event.

“I'm disappointed to hear the way it's sometimes been portrayed, but it's just the nature of the game with the way things are going on in the world at the moment. All I can do is stay focused and look to put on a great performance for the fans who are supporting this event as a whole.”

(Additional reporting by the Press Association)