Boxing: Fair play! Conor McGregor admits 'composed' Floyd Mayweather outclassed him

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) and Conor McGregor shake hands after Mayweather's 10th round TKO victory in their super welterweight boxing match on August 26, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Las Vegas (AFP) - Conor McGregor saluted Floyd Mayweather's clinical boxing masterclass here Saturday - but insisted he felt he could have fought on beyond a 10th-round stoppage.

The 29-year-old Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) star began bravely and won the first three rounds, but was ultimately outclassed by the vastly more experienced Mayweather.

Afterwards McGregor, who had never boxed professionally before Saturday's bout at the T-Mobile Arena, praised Mayweather's composed demolition job.

"He's composed, he's not that fast, he's not that powerful, but boy is he composed in there," McGregor said.

"I thought it was close though and I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage. I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots.

"I have to give it to him, that's what 50 pro fights will do for you."

But McGregor, a world champion in the brutal MMA world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, maintained that he should have been allowed to fight on past the 10th round.

"I've been strangled on live TV and came back," McGregor said.

"When you're in here in the squared circle, everything is different. Let the man put me down, that's fatigue, that's not damage.

"Where was the final two rounds? Let me walk back to my corner and compose myself."

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