Carl Froch explains how Conor McGregor can upset the odds and stun Floyd Mayweather

Froch is confident that Mayweather will beat McGregor, but has identifed one way in which the Irishman can upset the odds and stun the undefeated American

Former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch has warned Conor McGregor that his only chance of beating Floyd Mayweather is to knock him out early, although he has conceded it could prove “mission impossible” for the Irish star.

McGregor will be making his professional boxing debut when he takes on Mayweather on August 26, and is unsurprisingly considered the rank outsider.

It is widely believed Mayweather will give McGregor something of a boxing lesson when the two men meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, although Froch has outlined one possible course of victory for the two-weight UFC world champion.

“McGregor's got to land something, a punch, quite hard and hurtful early on to be within any chance,” Froch told Sky Sports, before adding that Mayweather’s age could count against him.

“McGregor is 29 against a guy who is 40 - a little bit older than me - and he's been retired for a couple of years,” Froch said. “You really do 'feel' you're retired, you become civilised and soft and you lose that fighting mentality.

“Floyd has brittle hands, so how is the training camp going to go? I am just looking for some positives for Conor here and Mayweather isn't the Mayweather we know from two, three, four, five years ago when he was the best of the best.

“We are just going to have to wait and see.”

Froch believes Mayweather will win the fight (Getty)

However, even despite McGregor’s firepower and Mayweather’s advanced age, Froch can’t see the undefeated American experiencing his first ever loss come August 26.

“Anybody who knows anything about boxing doesn't give Conor McGregor a chance,” he said.

“I thoroughly expect Floyd Mayweather to win, but he'd better not let the world of boxing down. I hope he wins it for boxing but this is an amazing event and I can't wait for it.

“This is a Mission: Impossible.”