Floyd Mayweather has praised his opponent in Conor McGregor as a "warrior" but has warned him that their fight will be a kill-or-be-killed encounter.

The two combat stars will fight each other in a boxing match on 26 August in a bout that McGregor is expected to earn in excess of $100m (£78m) from while Mayweather could surpass $1bn (£0.76bn) in career earnings.

However, there are concerns regarding the fight, first and foremost because most predict it will be one-sided due to the Irishman's lack of professional boxing experience.

Along with Mayweather's notorious defensive style, many also fear it could be a repeat of "Money's" high-profile but underwhelming fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Former boxer and Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar Del La Hoya for example, notably claimed before the fight was announced that boxing may not recover from the event, citing that the Pacquiao encounter, which involved two of the best boxers of their generations, was already a black eye for the sport.

But Mayweather has assured any doubters and critics that the fight will not be dull at all.

"He's a warrior, that's what I do know about Conor McGregor," Mayweather said, as quoted on BoxingScene. "He's going to fight to the end. He's approaching this fight like I'm approaching this fight. It's kill or be killed. Believe me when I say this: It's not going to be a dull fight."

The former five-weight champion recently concluded a world tour of press conferences with McGregor and praised his adversary's trash-talking ability.

"There has been a lot of trash-talkers, and at the end of the day, he's not bad," Mayweather added.

"We will rate him No. 2. I'm No. 1. He's got heart."

There is also the what-if scenario involving McGregor throwing an illegal kick or elbow during the bout since he is accustomed to those strikes in the UFC.

However, Mayweather is not worried about it, especially given there is a clause in their contract which states that McGregor would have to pay a fine to the Mayweather team with any illegal strikes.

"Am I worried about an elbow or knee? I'm going to let the referee do his job," Mayweather explained. "He will be extremely fair but firm. Nevada Commission is about treating everybody fair."

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor
Mayweather and McGregor during their final face-off in the world tour Getty