Golden Boy decries Mayweather and McGregor bout a 'circus'

Halls of Famer Oscar de la Hoya has termed the proposed bout between retired American boxer Floyd Mayweather and Irish mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor a circus, saying the sport may never recover if the "farce" is allowed to take place.

McGregor, the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC promotion, announced this month that he had signed his half of the deal to fight 40-year-old Mayweather, who retired in 2015 with a 49-0 record.

"With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the circus known as Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor will be coming to town in the near future," De la Hoya wrote in an open letter posted on his Facebook account.

"One group will eventually be left to make sure this farce doesn't occur... We, the fans, who are the lifeblood of our sport," he wrote.

The 10-time world champion predicted Mayweather would destroy 28-year-old McGregor.