Floyd Mayweather expected to dominate Conor McGregor with ring mastery

Conor McGregor is the perfect symbol of our times.

He’s violent, young, tough, smart, fearless, charismatic, funny and prepared to offend. If you don’t like it, well F@#% Off, is his whole approach to business.

McGregor has the quick wit of a talk show host, the confidence of a movie star, the heart of a warrior. He is the greatest salesman in sports. Utterly convincing.

But the Irishman is going to look very silly on Sunday afternoon.

Rich and silly, yes. But silly all the same.

In this mega-million dollar circus, McGregor will play the bull and Floyd Mayweather Jnr will play the matador.

The matador always wins. Especially one with Mayweather’s experience and supernaturally silky skills.

I think it will be a shutout, that 40-year-old Mayweather will win every round in a fight that probably goes the distance, unless McGregor gets so embarrassed he gets disqualified for kneeing or kicking.

The UFC champion will rush in, hard and menacing. The boxing champion will give him no target, moving back and sideways and clipping points off his relatively clumsy opponent.

The busiest man in there will be the referee, calling ''Break! Break!'' at every hint of a clinch.

Boxing’s rules will be applied at their most sensitive setting. No grappling, no rabbit punches.

After the trouble Mayweather had with Marcos Maidana in their first fight, their second clash saw much heavier application of the Queensberry Rules.

Although the fight was billed as ''Mayhem'', it was highly controlled mayhem and Mayweather won a comfortable unanimous decision.

Jeff Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton, who has a lifetime of experience in martial arts and boxing, says Mayweather’s ring mastery will be decisive.

''His gap control is awesome. And I haven’t seen anything in McGregor’s footwork or handspeed to be able to close that gap and hurt a guy who boxes as well as Floyd,’’ he said.

''If it was blended rules it’d be different. But would you back a badminton player to beat a tennis player under the rules of tennis?

''What if the Wallabies had to play the Kangaroos using rugby league rules only? It’d be a massacre.”

I asked Rushton could he imagine any scenario where McGregor wins.

''I don’t think Mayweather will engage long enough to knock McGregor out, so as long as your opponent is standing there is a chance you could make a mistake and lose,’’ he said.

''But Mayweather is going to protect his legacy at all costs. He is not going to lose to a guy having his first boxing fight.”

Yet the doubt is always there. The possibility. The uncertainty.

That’s why millions of people all over the planet will pony up the pay-per-view fee to see what happens.

Me included.