Conor McGregor Steals the Show in Round 2 of the Mayweather-McGregor World Tour

Conor McGregor figures out these boxing pressers in a hurry.

Wednesday afternoon in Toronto was proof of that.

After a tough go of things Tuesday in Los Angeles at the Staples Center and a protracted wait as Floyd Mayweather Jr. made his way to the press conference, McGregor came to the Budweiser Stage spitting pure fire.

He worked the Canadian crowd into a frenzy by calling out Mayweather in every way imaginable, from his age to his tax problems to his reading ability to his outlandish budget for strippers.

He even doubled down on a controversial taunt he used Tuesday, drawing accusations of racism from some (though Floyd Mayweather Sr. told TMZ Sports he didn't think it was racist). He then called out Showtime for allegedly cutting off his microphone Tuesday before turning his attention to soaking up the adulation he was getting from the crowd.

(Warning: Tweet contains NSFW language.)

Before the thing was 10 minutes old, it was clear that Mayweather might as well not even take his time to speak, for how much good it would do to redeem him.

If McGregor had generous crowd support in Los Angeles, he might consider a run for mayor of Toronto based on the rousing ovations he received at every turn, the smattering of Irish flags and the willingness of 15,000 citizens to shout "f--k the Mayweathers" on his command.

The whole thing was much more in line with what those who know McGregor from his MMA career have come to expect. He's a gifted orator who generates talking points and delivers them in organic ways that come about as he works himself up with his own silver tongue.

Longtime MMA referee John McCarthy chimed in:

It's unique to the fight game—boxing or MMA—and it's why UFC President Dana White is so quick to draw comparisons between McGregor's best work and the mind games of Muhammad Ali so many years ago, via Fight Hub TV.

It's not necessarily about comparing the two in terms of athletic greatness, social impact or historical relevance. Instead, it's about drawing an analogy between the cerebral ways both men have broken down foes mentally before breaking them down physically.   

Today, fans got to see the best of that part of McGregor in a way he didn't display Tuesday. 

Not to be outdone, Mayweather got in some good digs himself once he had a microphone.

While choreographed chanting and bookbags holding cash are played out after only a day, Mayweather landed a good shot when he spoke directly to White about how the truly rich guys don't wear suits because they don't have to. He delivered that line literally inches from McGregor, clad as always in an impeccable outfit (and perhaps a moment he wished he'd worn Tuesday's suit instead).

Still, there is no question this was McGregor's event. He verbally mopped the floor with Mayweather in a fashion that probably exceeded even the wildest expectations of those who have been excited about this press tour.

All of it—the chirping, the crowd involvement, the drawing of Mayweather into a war of words he can't win—worked in every way McGregor could have hoped.    

On Thursday, he'll take that momentum to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he'll likely be similarly adored. And then Friday, he'll take it to London's SSE Arena, where he is sure to tear the house down in front a heavy infusion of Irish imports.

This type of stuff is what makes combat sports what it is, straddling the line between athletics and the occult, and no one understands those dark arts better than McGregor.

He reminded everyone of that Wednesday.

Should McGregor carry that momentum onward through fight night, Mayweather doesn't have a chance.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder.