Easy money: 3 reasons Floyd Mayweather will beat Conor McGregor

It's time we pumped the brakes on this whole Conor McGregor boxing business.

In the weeks leading up to Saturday's blockbuster bout opposite Floyd Mayweather, the UFC lightweight champ has done it again: he's fearlessly sewn the seeds of doubt and rendered Mayweather's 49 dominant conquests meaningful only to combat sports purists. Casual fans and a bevy of betting men have given him more than just a puncher's chance at stunning a legendary pugilist in his professional in-ring debut.

In McGregor's defense, everything he - or rather "Mystic Mac" - has vowed to accomplish has gone from mouthpiece to stat sheet over an already illustrious career, and given the sheer absurdity of Saturday's matchup, what's keeping a boxing neophyte from taking his run to the next level of bonkers and handing an undefeated, five-division world champion his first L?

Logic, that's what.

In what can otherwise be deemed a statement of the obvious, here are three reasons Mayweather will one-up Rocky Marciano and ride off into the sunset (again) with a perfect slate of 50-0:

Have it your way

Those who've been quick to liken Mayweather's exploits to the stuff lullabies are made of haven't properly studied the tape.

Thanks to his technical proficiency at every aspect of the game, "Money" possesses the highly coveted ability to tailor every one of his foes with a suit fit for often embarrassing defeat. In a 12-round tilt with Canelo Alvarez, he established his jab, kept his back off the ropes, and tightened his guard to nullify Alvarez's patented body work.

In his dismantling of Victor Ortiz - unceremonious ending not withstanding - he ditched the jab and led with the straight right, which was hitting paydirt at will by second round's end. When Robert Guerrero made it known trading leather flat-footed from the pocket was a bad idea, Mayweather got to stepping and had Guerrero swinging at air before long.

That the 40-year-old has no boxing footage of McGregor to study is of no importance, as his ability to adjust to what's in front of him is first-rate. "The Notorious" may prove a puzzle unlike any Mayweather's ever seen, but one he'll have figured out within a few frames.

Ring generalship

Don't let the defensive fighting style fool you. Mayweather is the A-side in the ring more than he is outside it.

Whether Mayweather's opponents look to scrap or oblige him with more of a technical tilt, the result is always the same. Sooner or later, the Michigan native takes the reins, and by the time the realization they're fighting his fight and all but handing him the scorecards sets in, it's usually too late.

Judging by the latter half of his tape, it's fair to assume Mayweather won't be putting "The Notorious" to sleep, but that doesn't mean he won't lull him into his pace as either an instigator or a matador and put a clown suit on him as McGregor's subpar gas tank stifles his will to shed it as the contest wears on.

Rolling with the punches

McGregor's left hand has a way of finding his foes' chins, but Mayweather's is harder to touch up than any of the 18 the Irishman has obliterated in four-ounce gloves.

Enter the shoulder roll, a calling card Mayweather's executed effortlessly to stave off punch after punch at the expense of dozens of men, all of whom are far better boxers than McGregor. Boasting an uncanny ability to gauge distance, Mayweather's patented shrug allows him to stay in range and throw leather with minimal repercussions.

McGregor has displayed stellar range control of his own in the Octagon, but Mayweather isn't averse to eating shots with his lead elbow to neutralize a foe's efforts to get inside. As the cagiest dance partner the Irishman will have faced to date, expect Mayweather to keep shoulders rolling and elbows flicking for 12 solid rounds.