LAS VEGAS, Aug 26: British boxer Amir Khan fears Conor McGregor could face serious injury as the Irishman prepares to face Floyd Mayweather here today.
Former light-welterweight world champion Khan told the MMA Hour television show yesterday he believed mixed martial arts star McGregor could be hurt in what he expects will be a one-sided meeting with Mayweather in Las Vegas.
McGregor has never fought in a professional boxing contest and is a huge underdog against Mayweather, a 49-0 fighter regarded as one of the best boxers in history.
�It�s like a tennis player trying to play badminton,� Khan said.
�So he (McGregor) should not show too much too balls in this fight. If he starts getting a beating � step out man,� he added.
�He needs to think about himself in this fight, because if he gets seriously injured, he might not ever be the same fighter or he might not even fight again.�
Khan�s fears reflect wider misgivings by some in the boxing community who believe Saturday�s money-spinning superfight should never have been sanctioned on safety grounds.
The head of the Association of Ringside Physicians, Larry Lovelace, is among those who believe Nevada should not have granted a licence to the fight.
�We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on,� Lovelace was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
�The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody�s going to get really hurt.�
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which sanctioned the fight, has a financial interest in the fight going ahead, earning a slice of the gross ticket receipts.
With the bout expected to bring in more than $60 million at the gate, the commission could earn as much as $1.2 million.
But Bob Bennett, the executive director of the commission, hit back at suggestions of a conflict of interest.
�As a regulator, I take offense to the fact that we�re approving this fight for fiduciary reasons,� Bennett said. �That�s totally unfair, and it�s simply not true.� � AFP
