Medical experts fear for Conor McGregor's safety in fight against Floyd Mayweather

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The Association of Ringside Physicians has warned that Conor McGregor is putting himself in danger by facing five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather in Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated fight.

The Association, which is made up of more than 100 ringside doctors who focus on preserving boxer safety in America’s biggest fights, believes Mayweather vs McGregor should never have been sanctioned such is the threat posed to the mixed martial arts champion.

“We were very surprised this bout was even sanctioned and was going to be permitted to carry on,” said Larry Lovelace, a doctor and the president of the organisation.

“The thing I really fear, truly fear, is that somebody’s going to get really hurt in this upcoming fight.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission is responsible for determining what constitutes a fair fight and holds the power to sanction or block a bout.

Two years ago, the body blocked the light heavyweight fight between Rohan Murdock and Andrew Ward, judging the former to be a vastly inferior opponent.

But the commission’s executive director, Bob Bennett, has defended the decision to sanction this weekend’s ‘super-fight’ between Mayweather and McGregor.

Despite the stark contrasts between the two fighters’ professions, Bennett insisted that the Irishman was a premier athlete who was "the taller, longer, stronger more powerful opponent" out of the pair.

“If you’re going to take the position that Conor has never had an amateur or professional fight, then I’m not going to change your mind,” Bennett said.

“If you look at him today versus Floyd Mayweather, Conor is the taller, longer, stronger, more powerful opponent. He’s also a southpaw, which makes it a little more difficult for a conventional fighter. He’s 12 years younger than Floyd.”

The Nevada commission has a particularly large financial stake in Saturday’s fight. The state receives 8 per cent of the gross revenue from every ticket sold at a boxing event in Nevada while the commission gets 25 per cent of that amount.